Galatians 1:11-17 begins a historical narrative proving Paul's independence of any human authority in his apostolic work. He learned by a revelation from heaven, not in any sense from flesh and blood: cf. Matthew 16:17. All natural human tendencies inclined him towards different beliefs. He was born and grew up in Judaism and was the best Jew of them all. But the God who predestinates had other thoughts for him. From his very birth onwards the words partially echo Jeremiah 1:5; Isaiah 49:1 a Divine plan was shaping his life to undreamed-of issues. At last God spoke to him in that powerful call which dead souls hear, and revealed His Son within him
Galatians 1: 2 Corinthians 4:6 is the best commentary on these words in a blaze of heavenly glory. And he learned at once this must be the meaning that he, the Jew saved by that crucified Messiah whom he had been persecuting, was to preach the message of mercy among Gentiles furthest away from God and goodness. Did he as a preliminary consult Church authority? Far from it! Either he consulted God in solitude, or (according to another view of Galatians 1:17) without delay, and without human authorisation, he began preaching Christ to the Gentile population of Arabia, i.e. the Nabatean Kingdom (p. 33). We note that Acts knows nothing of this. The two visits to Damascus implied by returned (Galatians 1:17) most probably appear as one (Acts 9:19-25); our first proof of the strange but certain fact, that Luke had access to no collection of Paul's letters when writing Acts.