This past Thursday, December 11, as part of the “ÉBAF Thursdays” series, we heard a presentation on “Miracle-working rabbis: a process of ‘Hasidization’ of the Sages?” by Brother Olivier Catel, assistant professor of Jewish literature and exegesis at the École Biblique et Archéologique Française de Jérusalem.
He explored the figure of miracle-working rabbis—those sages of rabbinic Judaism who were credited with miracles or extraordinary signs—and examined the hypothesis that this phenomenon may have resulted from a process of “Hasidization,” that is, a subsequent influence or appropriation of the Hasidic or mystical tradition by older rabbinic traditions. Through the analysis of ancient textual sources, the study of Talmudic narratives, and later Jewish traditions, he sought to determine whether the image of the miraculous rabbi was already taking shape in Jewish antiquity or whether it was a later development, the result of cultural and religious transformations.
Olivier Catel holds a doctorate in modern literature from the University of Lyon III and a master’s degree in Bible and the Ancient Near East from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is has completed a second doctoral thesis, also for the Hebrew University, in Talmud and Jewish Law, focusing on fasting in ancient Christian and rabbinic literature, which was submitted in 2025.
At ÉBAF, fr. Olivier is assistant professor of Jewish literature and exegesis and an active member of the editorial committee of the program “La Bible en ses Traditions” (BEST), which aims to produce critical and annotated editions of Scripture, combining Jewish and Christian traditions from a historical, philological, and theological perspective.
This lecture was intended for anyone seeking to better understand the internal dynamics of rabbinic Judaism, the evolution of spiritual and miraculous representations, and the reception of religious models throughout the centuries.
