Paula

Since it’s another side issue, I’ll end my comments on the 12 with this. Being an apostle does not make one a part of the 12, as everyone would agree. But neither does anything else; the only criteria were those stated by Peter, and scripture never says he was wrong. Everything else is inference, a poor foundation for any argument. All we have that is stated clearly is Peter’s statement. We can second guess him and claim he acted without God’s approval, but there is nothing in all the NT to stand on. Paul never told Peter he was wrong to appoint someone else; in fact, it was never mentioned again. Paul’s defending his mission and authority was not an appeal to be considered one of the 12, but simply to defend his rights as “an” apostle, and one to whom Jesus spoke directly. Again, this does not make him one of the 12, and again, it does not belittle his status. Paul was one of a kind.
Nothing hinges on whether one believes Paul was one of the 12, so to expend so much energy on such a topic is unproductive. We’ll all find out the answer when we see the New Jerusalem. To further debate such a thing would be like arguing over which three sons of Israel are named on the north wall’s gates.