How long did St. Paul study in the desert before going on his first missionary journey?

Answer 1

A:In his Epistle to the Galatians, Paul said that after his conversion, he travelled to Arabia, then Damascus (bypassing Jerusalem), Jerusalem, then Syria and Cilicia, and back to Jerusalem (Galatians 1:!6-2:1). His trip to Arabia would not have been to Saudi Arabia, as what was then known as Arabia was the the region around Petrea, which was occupied by the Nabateans. This was an arid region, but far from being a desert.

Paul does not tell us why he went to Petrea, but Damascus had been granted by the Romans to Aretas, king of the Nabateans, so he might have gone to Petrea to gain permission to preach to the gentiles in Damascus.

As for studying in preparation for his missionary activities, Paul says that he learnt the gospel from revelation alone, while Acts of the Apostles says that he was taken, blinded, to Damascus and taught the gospel there.

Paul gives us no information about the first missionary journey described in Acts of the Apostles, which seems to conflict with Paul's own account of his itinerary. Raymond E. Brown (An Introduction to the New Testament) says that the three missionaries journeys are only a convenient classification developed by students of Acts.