Antipater the Idumaean

Antipater I the Idumaean (died 43 BCE) is the founder of the Herodian Dynasty and father of Herod the Great.

According to Josephus, he was the son of Antipas (I).

A native of Idumaea, southeast of Judea between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, and which during the time of the Hebrew Bible had been known as the land of Edom, Antipater becomes a powerful official under the later Hasmonean kings and subsequently becomes a client of the Roman general Pompey the Great when Pompey conques Judea in the name of Roman Republic.

When Julius Caesar defeats Pompey, Antipater aids Caesar in Alexandria, and is made chief minister of Judea, with the right to collect taxes.

Antipater eventually makes his sons Phasael and Herod the Governors of Jerusalem and Galilee respectively.

After the assassination of Caesar, Antipater is forced to side with Gaius Cassius Longinus against Mark Antony.

The pro-Roman politics of Antipater lead to his increasing unpopularity among the devout, non-Hellenized Jews.

He dies by poison.

The diplomacy and artful politics of Antipater, as well as his insinuation into the Hasmonean court, pave the way for the rise of his son Herod the Great, who uses this position to marry the Hasmonean princess Mariamne, endear himself to Rome and become king of Judea under Roman influence.

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