What was the first letter Paul wrote, and how long after he started his ministry was it written?
The first letter Paul wrote was the Thessalonian letters, composed some 12 to 14 years after he began his ministry. This places them after his conversion, three years of desert training, and the Jerusalem council, showing the New Testament events unfolded over a span of 20 to 30 years.
Les explains that Paul wrote Galatians about 20 years after his conversion, and that the first letter Paul wrote according to his time table was the Thessalonian letters, written some 12-14 years after he began his ministry. He notes Saul of Tarsus was saved on the road to Damascus around 37 AD, then had three years of desert training, and by 40 AD went out into the Gentile world. The Jerusalem council in Acts 15 and Galatians 2 occurred in AD 52, about 12 years after he began his ministry. Galatians was written around 58 or 59 AD, 18 years after he began, and these events span 20-30 years.