For 17 years after God showed his Son to me, I had no contact with the apostles.

Galatians 1:13-24

13 People have told you how I used to behave when I practiced the Jewish religion. They told you that I continually did very harmful things to the groups of believers that God established, and they told you that I tried to get rid of those people. 14 I practiced the Jewish religion more thoroughly than many other Jews who were my age practiced it. I much more enthusiastically tried to get others to obey the traditions that my ancestors kept. 15 Nevertheless, before I was born, God ◄set me apart/selected me►. He chose me to live eternally, something that I did not deserve. 16 He wanted me to know that Jesus is ◄his Son/the man who is also God►, so that I would tell others the message about him in regions where non-Jews live. But I did not immediately go to any human beings [SYN] in order to gain an understanding of that message. I received it directly from Christ!! 17 I did not immediately leave Damascus and go to Jerusalem for that purpose to those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away to Arabia region, a desert area. Later I returned once more to Damascus city. 18 Then three years after God revealed this good message to me, I went up to Jerusalem in order that I might meet Peter. But I stayed with him for only 15 days, which was not long enough for him to teach me thoroughly about Christ. 19 I also saw James, the brother of our Lord Jesus and the leader of the believers there, but I did not see any other apostle. 20 God knows that what I am writing to you is completely true [LIT]! 21 After I left Jerusalem, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 At that time, people in the Christian congregations that are in Judea province still had not met me [SYN] personally. 23 They only heard others say about me repeatedly, “Paul, the one who was formerly doing harmful things to us, is now telling the same message which we believe and which formerly he was trying ◄to destroy/to cause people to stop believing►!” 24 And they praised God because of what had happened to me.