Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Galatians 1:18
What does Galatians 1:18 mean?
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Galatians 1:18
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Paul traveled to Jerusalem not to receive instruction, but to "get acquainted" with Peter, using a word that implies visiting someone significant. The strikingly short fifteen days spent with Peter strongly suggests Paul wasn't there to learn the gospel, but to establish a personal connection.
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Three years after his conversion, Paul traveled to Jerusalem to meet Peter, staying for two weeks. This brief visit was not to receive instruction but to establish a personal acquaintance with Peter, the prominent apostle. It was during this time, and in subsequent years, that Paul worked to demonstrate his independent apostolic authority, which he felt was directly given by God, not derived from the original apostles in Jerusalem.
Paul heads to Jerusalem after three years, not for lectures, but for something else entirely. What does the Greek word reveal about his goal?
When Paul states he went 'to see' (Greek: historēsai) Cephas (Peter), he uses a word that implies more than just a casual glance. It’s a word used for inquiring into something notable, for gaining knowledge by visiting, and for becoming personally acquainted.
Not for Instruction
Paul wasn't going to the 'leader' of the apostles to receive lessons or get his commission confirmed. He had already been commissioned by Christ directly. Instead, he sought a personal connection with Peter, to establish that rapport as fellow laborers in the Gospel. This wasn't about Paul needing to know from Peter, but about Peter knowing Paul.
Three years after his conversion, Paul spends just two weeks with Peter. Was this short visit enough to make him an apostle?
The mention of 'fifteen days' is significant. It underscores that Paul's visit wasn't an extended discipleship under Peter.
Short Stay, Clear Message
This brief period served Paul's purpose: to establish personal contact. It was long enough for acquaintance and perhaps some discussion, but certainly not for Peter to bestow apostleship or impart foundational teaching. In fact, commentators suggest much of this time may have been occupied by public disputations with Jewish authorities, as mentioned in Acts.
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The brevity of the visit highlights Paul’s divine appointment. He didn't need years of apprenticeship; his authority came directly from God.
Understand the original words
Kēphas · Greek Noun
Aramaic name meaning 'rock,' given by Jesus to Simon Peter. He was a leading disciple and one of the pillars of the early church in Jerusalem.
Paul's brief visit to Jerusalem, just fifteen days with Peter, highlights his immediate, God-given apostleship, emphasizing he didn't need apostolic validation or prolonged instruction before launching his ministry to the Gentiles.
c. AD 33-36— this verse
Paul's Conversion and Early Ministry
Saul (Paul) is dramatically converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus and begins a period of ministry, likely in Arabia and Damascus, for roughly three years.
c. AD 36-39
Paul's First Visit to Jerusalem
Paul travels to Jerusalem to meet with Peter and James, spending about two weeks getting acquainted with Peter and discussing their ministries.
c. AD 39-43
Paul's Ministry in Tarsus and Antioch
After facing danger in Jerusalem, Paul returns to his hometown of Tarsus and later travels to Antioch, where he begins a significant ministry to the Gentiles.
c. AD 46-48
First Missionary Journey
Paul and Barnabas undertake their first major missionary journey, taking the Gospel to various regions, including Cyprus and Asia Minor.
c. AD 49
Jerusalem Council
Paul travels to Jerusalem again for a crucial council to address the issue of Gentile inclusion in the church, meeting with church leaders.
This passage describes Paul's initial, tentative return to Jerusalem after his conversion, where Barnabas vouched for him, showing how his re-entry into the community wasn't immediate or without caution.
2 Corinthians 11:23-28Paul details his extensive hardships and journeys in ministry, providing a backdrop to understand the intensity and significance of even short visits, like the one with Peter.
Galatians 2:1-10This later visit to Jerusalem, fourteen years after the one in Galatians 1, provides a direct contrast, showing a more established Paul engaging with the 'pillars' (Peter, James, John) on a significant theological matter.
Jeremiah 1:5This verse, quoted by scholars in the context of Paul's calling, highlights the ancient concept of individuals being set apart by God before birth for a specific purpose, mirroring Paul's own understanding of his divinely ordained ministry independent of human consultation.
ellicottGalatians 1:18: "Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days."
(18-24) Nor did that consultation with the elder Apostles, which had hitherto been impossible, take place when, at last, after the lapse of three years, the Apostle did go up to Jerusalem. He saw indeed Peter and James, but for so short a time that he could have learnt nothing essential from them. To the rest of the churches of Judæa he was known only by report; and they were too rejoi…
vincentGalatians 1:18: "Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days."
To see (ἱστορῆσαι)N.T.o. 1. To inquire into: 2. to find out by inquiring: 3. to gain knowledge by visiting; to become personally acquainted with. In lxx, only 1 Esd. 1:33, 42, to relate, to record. Often in Class. The word here indicates that Paul went, not to obtain instruction, but to form acquaintance with Peter.CephasSee on Matthew 16:18; see on John 1:42; see on 1 Corinthians 1:…
Paul traveled to Jerusalem not to receive instruction, but to "get acquainted" with Peter, using a word that implies visiting someone significant. The strikingly short fifteen days spent with Peter strongly suggests Paul wasn't there to learn the gospel, but to establish a personal connection.
Three years after his conversion, Paul traveled to Jerusalem to meet Peter, staying for two weeks. This brief visit was not to receive instruction but to establish a personal acquaintance with Peter, the prominent apostle. It was during this time, and in subsequent years, that Paul worked to demonstrate his independent apostolic authority, which he felt was directly given by God, not derived from the original apostles in Jerusalem.
Three years after his conversion, Paul traveled to Jerusalem to meet Peter, staying for two weeks. This brief visit was not to receive instruction but to establish a personal acquaintance with Peter, the prominent apostle. It was during this time, and in subsequent years, that Paul worked to demonstrate his independent apostolic authority, which he felt was directly given by God, not derived from the original apostles in Jerusalem.
"Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days." — Paul traveled to Jerusalem not to receive instruction, but to "get acquainted" with Peter, using a word that implies visiting someone significant. The strikingly short fifteen days spent with Peter s…
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Last reviewed October 2026