The allusion to St. Paul the Apostle, which a gap in the text renders indecipherable, may originally have told how the traveller followed on his way back to his country the stages of St. Paul's third missionary journey, namely: Issus, Tarsus, Derbe, Iconium, Antioch in Pisidia and Apamea Cibotus, which would bring him into the heart of Phrygia.
Battle of Issus, in 333 BC, in which Alexander the Great defeated Darius III
Battle of Issus | Issus | ''The Battle of Issus'' by Albrecht Altdorfer | The Battle of Alexander at Issus | Issus (town) |
It's not clear whether this 'great battle' refers to the battle of Issus or of Gaugamela, or both.
After Alexander's forces successfully defeated the Persians at the Battle of the Granicus, Darius took personal charge of his army, gathered a large army from the depths of the empire, and maneuvered to cut the Greek line of supply, requiring Alexander to countermarch his forces, setting the stage for the battle near the mouth of the Pinarus River and south of the village of Issus.