Aldus Manutius was an Italian printer famous for his printing press established in Venice in 1494. The Aldine press is notable for its publication of texts by Greek and Roman authors in a ‘pocket’ octavo format. Aldus also introduced a Greek typeface based on written Greek that was used by publishers for many years.

This book, printed in Venice between 1501 and 1504, contains the Life of Apollonius of Tyana by the second century Greek philosopher Philostratus and a treatise against the Roman governor of Syria, Hierocles, which is generally attributed to the fourth century Christian historian Eusebius.

Philostratus’ Life of Apollonius of Tyana describes the travels of the first century philosopher, who reputedly travelled extensively from his home in Cappadocia (now part of Turkey) across the Roman Empire, visiting Italy, Hispania, Mesopotamia and Nubia before travelling across Asia, to India, where he met several local rulers. In doing so, he found followers who began to adhere to his teachings. These journeys, his rumoured miracles, and his being a contemporary of Jesus Christ led some to draw parallels between the two men, and Roman authorities used Philostratus’ account as evidence to persecute Christians as fanatics.

One such person was the governor of Syria, Hierocles, who, in AD 303, published a pamphlet declaring that the achievements of Apollonius were greater than those of Jesus, and that Christian worship of Christ was a dangerous threat when compared to the measured study of Apollonius’s teachings. Hierocles’ writings drew great criticism from Christian writers such as Eusebius, who, in his book Against Hierocles, attacked both the pamphlet and Philostratus’ biography, declaring that Apollonius was a sorcerer acting in league with the Devil to undermine the teachings of Christ. Eusebius' placing of Apollonius in opposition to Jesus was influential throughout the Renaissance. In the eighteenth century, Apollonius came to be favoured by Deists who viewed him as a secular alternative to Christ.