The testimonies of Plato and Isocrates show that Pythagoras was famous because he left as his legacy a way of life that continued to have supporters in the fourth century BC, in other words, a hundred years after his death!

Pythagoras concerned himself in particular with religious rites. Isocrates emphasized that Pythagoras, above anyone else, attached importance to sacrifices and temple rituals. Evidently, his interest in the journey of the soul after death required profound knowledge of all the rites connected with death. The Pythagorean way of life attached particular importance to the assiduous observance of religious rites; however, it was not a religion and there were no specific Pythagorean rituals. Pythagoras most probably taught a way of life that gave emphasis to particular aspects of ancient Greek religion.