A popular term used by biblical commentators is the word, “Judaizers.” For example, in his excellent commentary on Galatians, F. F. Bruce comments on Gal. 2:12: ”. . . ‘the circumcision party,’ i.e. Judaizers within the church (Acts 11:2; Tit. 1:10); the circumcised members of the church, i.e. Jewish Christians . . .” (Bruce, F. F. The Epistle To The Galatians, A Commentary on the Greek Text. The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982, 131). Notice, Bruce correctly identifies “the circumcision” as regenerate Jews.
However, if one consults an English concordance of the Bible, the term “Judaizers” can not be found.
Thus, this observation is offered for Bible students consulting a concordance so that confusion about the often used term “Judaizers” may be clarified.
Judaizers were Jewish believers in Jesus who aggressively advocated and relentlessly promoted circumcision, as well as following the Law of Moses, for gentiles who had believed in Jesus as their Savior. Biblically, this group of Jewish believers were known as “the circumcision.”