Machiavelli appears to have broken with all preceding political philosophers. There is weighty evidence in support of this view. Yet his largest political work ostesibly seeks to bring about the rebirth of the ancient Roman Republic; far from being a radical inovator, Machiavelli is a restorer of something old and forgotten.He continues when discussing the Discourses:
We understand now why the discovery of new modes and orders, is dangerous. That rediscovery which leads up to the demands that the virtue of the ancients be imitated by present-day men, runs counter to the present-day religion: it is that religion that teaches that the imitation of ancient virtue is impossible, that it is morally impossible, for the virtues of the pagans are only resplendent vices. What Machiavelli will have to achieve in the Discourses is not merely the presentation, but the re-habilitation, of ancient virtue against the Christian critque. This does not dispose of the difficulty that the discovery of new modes and orders is only the re-discovery of the ancient modes and orders.Strauss goes on to show how Machiavelli views "present-day", Christian, "religion" as corrupt and corrupting. In fact, the Discourses model on Livy and Livy ends his history of the Republic on the rise of Christianity.
Now, this is not the main point of Strauss's essay on this fellow in the History of Political Philosopy, but it is illustrative of the depth of issues covered in Machiavelli's political thought.