with Gnosticism, philosophic speculation and magical practices. Ephesians and Colossians know such groups, but not Galatians. Rather, they were Jewish Christians who were insisting on circumcision, and probably also full observance of the law of Moses, on the part of Gentile Christians, as essential for salvation. That was the point at issue: Jewish Christians might still continue to circumcise their children, and presumably might also teach them to keep the law, without compromising the gospel.