Sharpening the questions asked of the sages by secular figures (of leadership), such as Cleopatra -- who wants to know if the resurrection of the dead will bring people back clothed or naked -- and Antony, who asks about the insertion of the soul into human beings. The sages take the questions seriously, to be be sure, and provide answers that have some measure of logic behind them. Other tidbits include a heretic's sharp questions and a hunchback's quick retorts, and the friendship between Antoninus and Rebbe (Rabbi Yehudah NaNasi).