Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: . . . Psalm 64:2 Since early times, "Wise Men" have existed who claimed knowledge of "Mysteries" that were to be kept secret from all outside their circle. Some of these mysteries purported to relate to such matters as the origin of man, life of the soul after death, and the nature of God. These mysteries were usually handed down by oral tradition and kept from the ordinary people. Many Jewish writers believe that Moses drew from the Egyptian Mysteries a part of an oral tradition handed down through the leaders of the Israelites (the Jews), and later written in the Talmud and the Cabala. Others believe that an oral tradition goes back to Adam. There was a conflict here, and it could be found not only in traditions, but in the resulting polarization of the Jews with one side supporting orthodox Judaism and one side working to undermine it. That there existed a secret oral tradition claiming to be the teaching of Moses, but contrary to the Law, could explain why ‘many Jewish people “were so quick to forsake the written Law of Moses and join in worshiping 14 Chapter 3 Ancient Oral Traditions "Wise Men" have existed who