the background of the Colossian error was clearly Judaism, it was also affected by Hellenism and even Paganism.”54 It is therefore prudent to affirm the significance of Jewish apocalyptic and mystic traditions but allow room for other influences behind this false teaching. In light of the fact that the Colossian false teaching appears to contain both Jewish elements and those that do not fit comfortably within a traditional Jewish framework, it appears that some sort of syncretism lies