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This Wisdom tradition within Judaism resonated with the teachings that were emerging in the other religions of the world at this time. The new thinking grew out of understanding that the whole universe operated according to divine law. One of the major principles of the way of Wisdom in all religious traditions is that a life of moral rectitude is better than one of merely conforming to ritual. A central tenet is that 'a man reaps what he sows,' a principle known as karma in the Indian traditions. A corollary of this teaches that it is better to remain poor than to become rich by oppressing others.
In Judaism this divine law is sometimes referred to as the Word (Logos in Greek; Memra in Hebrew) and the Teaching (Torah in Hebrew). In the Jewish Scriptures of the early Christian era this divine law is spoken of as the Way' (Derekh in Hebrew). The inner kernel of the teaching is about the intentions of the heart and mind. Some of the most revered Jewish scholars and prophets of this time also claimed that the soul existed before this life, and taught that the soul came from God and would return to God.
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