Resurrection, both that of Jesus and a general resurrection, has always been a contested issue. Even the texts in the New Testament about resurrection convey the disputed nature of belief in resurrection. This study investigates the earliest debates between Christians and pagans on the topic by looking into two extant sources: first Celsus, a pagan philosopher versus Origen in Against Celsus, and second "the Hellene" versus "the Christian" in Macarius's Apocriticus. Though the latter pair may be fictitious, the arguments presented reflect the way this belief was seen by outsiders and how each side responded to rejections. Resurrection Between Rejection and Response also considers these arguments in a wider and retrospective light.
