The music for this oratorio for five voices was written by Bernardo Pasquini (1637-1710), a very well-known Tuscan harpsichordist, organist, and composer of keyboard music. He lived most of his life in Rome; his most important patrons were Queen Cristina of Sweden, Prince Colonna, and Prince Giambattista Borghese. Pasquini's importance as a vocal composer still needs to be assessed fully. He composed numerous operas, oratorios, and cantatas; unfortunately, as with this piece, many of the scores have been lost. This libretto was published specifically for the first performance of Pasquini's work in 1693.