25. Nor was he Strictly Jewish
As an Arabic group, the Edomites were not natural followers of the Jewish faith. However, large numbers of Edomites did convert to Judaism. Herod’s father, Antipater was one of them. However, his mother, Cyprus was the daughter of a Nabataean noble from Petra. According to the Code of Jewish law, to be considered Jewish, a child had to be born of a Jewish mother-, which Herod was not. So even though Herod was a practicing Jew, he was regarded as an outsider.