The "Colossian Heresy" is a term that is used to describe the false teachings that occurred in the early church of Colossae, causing the apostle Paul to write his Epistle to the Colossians. The exact nature of the heresy is debated, and can only be guessed at by the content of Paul's counter arguments in his letter. There are two broad views on the nature of the heresy. One is that it was a Jewish heresy, with a mystical and ascetic form of Judaism. The other was that it was a syncretic gnostic teaching. A few scholars however debate the existence of an actual heresy.