George Reynolds

“ Croix, on this subjects, writes: "The germ of the mysteries is lustration," (or purification by water) "and expiation. The doctrines taught were the necessity of repentance and confession, the immortality of the soul, and a future state of rewards and punishments." The Sr. De Sacy adds, "certain rites and symbols were secret, and these it was sacrilege to reveal." Baur states, "the fundamental idea of the mysteries is that of a god who suffers and dies and afterwards triumphs over death, and has a glorious resurrection." ”

“ It is so natural to humanity to claim the blessings of God's word long after they have ceased to regard its obligations.
The fact of these things appearing in the Book of Abraham, written in hieroglyphics, renders it very supposable that at one time the import of these revelations was comprehended by those among the Egyptians who received the teachings of Abraham; and so far as Jewish tradition is concerned, it is full of references to these matters, though these latter, perhaps, more directly centre in the rites of the temples at Jerusalem. ”

“ To do this we must call attention to the so-called secret "mysteries" of the ancients, which, to us, seem clearly, in their origin, to have been attempts to imitate the administrations of the holy priesthood, in the sacred rites appertoining to the fulness of the Gospel. ”