RECEPTION, RELIGIOUS, of monks, nuns, and other religious persons, is the cere monial whereby they are admitted to the probationary state called the novitiate (q.v.). Before the ceremony of reception, a short preparatory stage must he passed through by the candidate (called at this stage a " postulant"), the duration of which usually ranges from two to six mouths. The ceremony of the reception, called also " clothing, ' is per formed by a bishop, or is priestalclegated by a bishop, and consists in blessing the reli gious dress or habit, and Investing the postulant therein with appropriate prayers, the hair being at the same time rut off, and the secular dress laid aside, in token of the, renunciation of the world and its poops and pleasures. The reception, however, is understood to be only a provisional step; and the novice remains free to return to secu lar life at any time during I he novitiate.
ItECIIABITES, In I. Chron. ii. 55, the house of Reehab is identified with the Hen ites who came into Canaan with the Israelites; one Itranolt of them settling in the 11. part, and another in the territory of Judah. Froth the book of Jeremiah it appears that they remained in the land until the Babylonian captivity, and during several generations obeyed the command of Jehonadab, their founder, not to drink wine, sow seed, plant or own a vineyard, or build houses, but to dwell in tents forever, that they might live many days in the land where they were strangers. When forced to seek shelter from
the Chaldeans within the walls of Jerusalem, they still refused to violate these injunc tions of their ancestors. Their example was placed by the Lord in strong contrast with the transgressions of his own commandments by the Jews. "The sons of Jonadab have performed the commandment of their father which be commanded them; but Ibis people Lath not hearkened unto me." ".Jonadab the son of Reehab shall not want a man to stand before me forever." There are implications that they were admitted among the Levites. After the captivity One of the tribe was ruler of a part of Jerusalem, and rebuilt. one of its gates. In 1. Chron. ii. 55, they are mentioned among the scribes who were chiefly, if not exclusively, Levites. lIegesippus, in a passage quoted by Eusebius, says that, while the scribes and Pharisees were stoning James the just, one of the priests of the sons of Rechab, who are mentioned by Jeremiah the prophet, cried mit, probably against the crime. Benjamin of Tudela, in the 12th c., in the record of his says that near El Jubar he found .Jews 100,000 in number who were named Rechabites. They tilled the ground, kept flocks and herds, and abstained from wine and flesh. Dr. Wolff, a traveler of the present century, says he found 60,000 bearing the same name; and a later traveler still, about 1860, met a tribe that called themselves by the same name.