Did Paul become an apostle because the Twelve ordained him?
No. Paul did not become an apostle through ordination by the Twelve or any other group. He states plainly that his apostleship came by the miraculous laying on of the Lord Jesus Himself, not by human appointment, teaching, or setting apart. So his apostolic role was directly from Christ.
Les explains that Paul makes it plain he did not come into the role of apostleship because the Twelve ordained him, or some other group ordained him, taught him, or set him down. No way. He came on the scene by the miraculous laying of the Lord Jesus on him of this apostleship. Similarly, when Paul and Barnabas left Antioch, Scripture was careful to point out that it was not the church that sent them, but the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit sent them, not the Antioch church, showing divine commissioning rather than human ordination.
Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
More Questions
Why does Paul begin Galatians by calling himself an apostle?
In Galatians 1:1 Paul immediately reminds his hearers of the authority of his apostleship; he always comes at that first, asserting his absolute authority to proclaim the truths he is proclaiming.