Does anyone know what “received religion” means?
Here’s the link to the book where I found it: Hungary’s Long Nineteenth Century
Does it mean something like the “official religion” or “legitimate religion”?
Answer
I wish to allude to the origins of the word received.
Receive is different from accept.
Accept signifies that the purveyor or initiator of the transaction is the acceptor. For example, “I accept your lifestyle, even though I abhor it.”
Receive signifies that the purveyor or initiator of the transaction is the giver offering the gift. Therefore, you would receive what is being offered.
I also wish to further reference the basic religious background that has made the participle received nearly synonymous to authorised. One has to accept, yes accept, that much of English linguistic culture is drawn from scriptures used by Christianity.
Pauline doctrine, especially the book of Romans has had a huge impact on the use of the word receive, where salvation is said to be “freely” (but monopolistically) offered by the source said to be the only source authorised to offer it. Wherefore, Pauline doctrine admonishes that devotees would receive this gift from the only one who is able to supply it.
The word receive has also been obsessively promoted by Calvinism, which had a significant influence on modernization as well as liberation of European culture from the strictures of Roman Catholicism. Calvinists tend to believe that even the tendency to receive salvation itself is a divinely authorised and predetermined gift that a devotee would receive.
We know that worldly govts and organisations prior to success of modern atheistic movements, had for centuries persistently attempted to project themselves as being agents appointed by Divine Power. For example, the Received Authorised Version of the Bible, or “Textus Receptus”. Implying that their version is authorised and initiated by Divine agency. All others are inferior.
Another example is received pronunciation of the English language. Perhaps, authorised by elitist (or even royal) decree for its speakers to receive it.
The origin of the word receive is the Latin recipere, past participle receptus.
Take note that the Hebrew equivalent that carries the meaning of receive is the root (קבל) QBL, from which the term Qabalah is derived.
One has to dwell further into the meaning of the Latin recipere, and hence its past participle receptus. It means to return, restore, recover, take back.
Incidentally, the Latin word has a near exact Hebrew equivalent (שב), which is the root word for return, repeat, recycle, sabbath, sit, restore, repent, restore.
There is a pattern in European religion where egalitarian concepts of humility are transformed into concepts of elitism, like the washing of feet by Jesus to signify an act of humility by the offeror, into an act of superiority by a figure of authority.
So that salvation is to be received from the only one authorised to offer it, rather than from the one capable of offering it. And where the Hebrew word for repentance actually means restoration and returning to the state of origin, but after centuries of institutionalisation, the modern meaning tends to imply submitting one’s rebellious self to an authority.
Perhaps following that pattern, the Latin word recipere also had been transformed into a word that signifies condescension by, and submission to, an authority. All other sources are inferior.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Maria M. , Answer Author : Blessed Geek
