Encore Post: When Christians think of the Herods, Herod the Great comes to mind first of all of them. He is, after all, the vllian of the Christmas story. But the story of the Herods begins with his father, Antipater.
Antipater was an Idumean (Edomite; descendants of Esau) noble. When the Hasmonean rulers of Judah expanded into Edom, they forced them all into converting to Judaism. When the royal descendents fought over the throne, Antipater convinced Roman General Pompey to support Hyrcanus II. With Roman assistance his prince won the dynastic conflict and reigned in Judea — now a Roman client state. Antipater sent his son to Rome to be educated and then put Herod over Galilee as governor and Herod’s brother over Judah. During Rome’s civil wars, Antipater first supported Pompey, then Caesar who made him a Roman citizen, then Cassius. The result was to put Judea in the Roman orbit, but as self-ruling, prospering and growing in size.
At his father’s death, Herod the Great assumed the throne of Judea and married into the Hasmonean family. He became a loyal supporter first of Marc Anthony, then Octavian (Augustus). He kept the peace in Roman fashion — with cruel, violent action. He was an avid builder, whose works enhanced the lives of his subjects — Jew and Gentile. His unwavering support of Roma brought one advantage after another to Judea. His people both loved and loathed him. In his later years, he had to root out one plot after another, leading him to become quite paranoid about his throne. Convinced his wife Mariame and their sons plotted to kill him, he had them executed.
Hid greatest building accomplishment was to rebuild the Holy Temple into a wonder of the ancient world, beautiful and magnificent. God used him to prepare for his son with the bringing of Roman peace to Judea, improving its infrastructure, rebuilding the temple and by his killing of the infants of Bethlehem, propel the Holy Family to move to Egypt.
Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana
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Very interesting. To know the Herods, forced in Edom to adopt Judaism, were big allies of Rome, explains a lot! Herod the Great was even educated in Rome. Being both Idumean and pro-Rome aided in Judean disgust towards him as King of the Jews!