RECEPTION, RELTGIOl S, of monks, nuns, and other religious persons, is the ceremonial whereby they are admitted to the probationary state called the novitiate (q. v.). Before the ceremony of reception a short pre- paratory stage must Ik passed through by the candidate (called at this stage '.i "postulant'"), the duration of winch usually ranges from two to six months. The ceremony of the reception, called also "clothing," is per- formed by a bishop, or a priest delegated by a bishop, and consists in blessing tbe religious dress or habit and in- vesting the postulant therein with appropriate prayers, the hair being at the same time cut off and the secular dress laid aside, in token of the renunciation of the world and ii- pomps and pleasures. The reception, however, is
underst I to be only a provisional step, and the novice
remains free to return to secular life at any time during the novitiate. Chambers's Encyclop. s. v
Receptorium was the name of an ecclesiastical outer building, a kind of speaking-room, a parlor con- tiguous to the ancient churches; it is sometimes called salutatorium (q.v.). Mention of it occurs in Sidonins Apollinaris (1. v. epist. L7), Sulpitius Severus (Dial. ii. 1), the first Council of Macon (can. ii), Theodoretus. and many other authors. Theodoretus relates that Tbeodosius, when he came to request absolution from St, Ambrose, found the saint sitting in salutatorio. Scaliger is wrong in supposing this to be a room in the bishop's mansion-, il adjoined the church, and was a part of the church building. In the receptorium the sacred utensils, the ornaments, .and robes of the i mediaeval I clergy were deposited for safe-keeping.
Here the clergy were accusl id to retire tor private
devotions, preparatory to their engaging in public ex- ercises. It was also a general audiencc-r n. where
friends and acquaintances met to exchange their affec- tionate salutations and inquiries, and where the bishop or the priests received the people who came to ask their
n ommend themselves to their prayers, or
to take their advice in matters of importance. Sulpitius Seven,- , Dial. ii. i i shows us si. .Martin sitting in a kind ol sacristy, and bis priests in another, receiving visitors and transacting business.
Receveur, Francois Joseph Xavier, a French priest and historian, was bom at Longeville (Doubs) April. 'in. 1800. Hardly had he received his orders when he was 'died to Paris ,< >,i.. \s>\ \ to till a subordinate position in the cabinet of the minister of ecclesiastical
affairs and of public instruction. From June. 1828, to June, 1829, he was head of the bureau of secretaryship to the same minister. Afterwards appointed a teach- er in the theological faculty of Paris (May l. 1831 >. he became titular professor of moral philosophy March 1. 1841, and dean of the faculty Dec. 6, 1850. " He had not long been relieved from these last duties when lie died in bis native country. May 7. 1854. The various positions which he tilled permitted him to devote his labors to several important works. We have: Re- \cherches Philosophiques sur A Fondement </< hi Certi- tude (Paris. 1821, l2mo): Accorddi I" Foi avec la Rai- son,ou Exposition des Principes sur lesquels reposi In Foi Cat/mjique (ibid. ls.'iO .".;!. li'mo): -Kami sur la Xature de I'Aiiii. .<nr rOrigim des Idees <t l<- Fondement di In Certitudi (ibid. 1834, 8vo) : — Tractatus Theologicus de Justitia et Coniractibus (ibid. 1835, l2mo): Introduc- tion a la Theoloffi (Beaancon, 1839, 8vo): Histoirt de VEglist depuis son r'.t<ihli.<.« im nt jiisr/u'au Pontifical de Crerjoire XVI ( Paris. L840 17. 8 vols. 8vo). ' As an editor, abbe* Receveur has given a new edition of the Tkeolooie Dogmatique et Morale of Bailly (1*30), and another of the Theologit Moral of Liguori, to which he has added some notes (1833). Collector for the Nouvelk Biographii ff< n< Irak . be died a short time after having contributed the articles Saint-Cyprien and Saint- CyrUle-i -Hoefer, Nouv, /;i<></. Generate, s. v.
Re'chab (Heb. Rechab', ~-~. n rider; Scpt.'Pn- Xa/3), the name of three men.
1. The first named of the two "sons of Rimmon the Beerothite," "captains of bands." who murdered Ish- bosheth in his bed in order to gain favor with David, but were put to death by him. with expressions ol ab- horrence for their crime , -_> Sam. iv, 5-12). B.C. 104G. Josephus calls him Tkuimus (Qdwoc, Ant. vii, 2, 1). The other's name was P.aanah (q. v.).
2. The "father" of Jehonadab (or Jonadab, Jer. xxxv, <>). who was Jehu's companion in destroying the wor- shippers ol' P.aal (2 Kings x, 15, 23). See JEHONADAB, B.C. ante 882. He was the ancestor of the Rechabites (q. v. ..
3. The father ol Malcluah. which latter was ruler of part of Beth-haccerem, and is named as repairing the dung-gate in the fortifications of Jerusalem under Nehe- miali i Xeh. iii. IP. B.C. ante44G.
Rech'abite [properly /,'. 'ckabiti ] (Heb. always in the plur. and with the art.. ka-Rekabim', "~Z~n. a patrial from Rechab; Sept. Apxafieiv, 'PetyajSsti', etc.), a tribe who appear only in one memorable scene of Scripture (Jer. xxxv. 2 18). Their history before and after it lies in some obscurity. We are left to search out and combine some scattered notices, and to get from them what light we can.
I. In 1 (limn. ii. 55 the house of Rechab is identi- fied with a section of the Kenites « bo came into ( 'anaan with the Israelites and retained their nomadic habits. and the name of Hemath is mentioned a- tbe patri- arch of the whole tribe. See Hemath; Kkmtk. It lias been inferred from this passage that thedeso ndanls of Rechab belonged to a branch of the Kenites settled from the lirst at Jabez, in .ludab. See JEHONADAB. The fact, however, that Jehonadab took an active part in the revolution which placed Jehu on the throne seems to indicate that he ami his tribe belonged to Israel rather than to .In. lab. and the late date of I Chron., taken to- gether with other facts i infra), makes ii more probable that ibis passage refers to the locality occupied by tbe Rechabites after their return from the captivity. In confirmation of ibis view, ii may be noticed that the " shearing-house" of 2 Kings \. n was probablj the known rendezvous of the nomad tribe of the Kenites with their Hocks of sheep. See Shi iring-hoi sk.