How do Paul’s letters and the Acts of the Apostles describe his conversion differently?

The accounts of St. Paul’s conversion in his own letters and in the Acts of the Apostles differ in their level of detail and descriptive focus.1

In his letters, Paul provides a more theological and personal reflection on the event. For instance, in Galatians 1:16, he describes his conversion as God revealing His Son to him, while in 1 Corinthians 9:1, he simply states that he saw the Lord.1

Conversely, the Acts of the Apostles offers a more narrative-driven account. It describes the experience as a vision of a blinding bright light while Paul was traveling to Damascus. Acts further details that Paul was left blind for three days until he encountered a disciple named Ananias, who laid hands on him, leading to the restoration of Paul's sight and his subsequent baptism. While Acts serves as a valuable historical record of the early church, scholars note that it uses stylistic devices and rhetoric to weave traditions into a cohesive narrative, which may account for these differences in presentation compared to Paul's own writings.12