23. Herod became Governor of Galilee and rose to the position of Ethnarch of Judea.
Caesar made Herod a Roman Citizen at the same time as Antipater as an acknowledgment of his support. He also made the younger man Governor of Galilee as an additional reward. In 44 BC, angry Judeans murdered Antipater while he was collecting silver demanded by Caesar’s assassin, Cassius. Herod quickly sided with Mark Anthony and Octavian after the defeat of Caesar’s killers. Anthony made Herod and his brother, Phasael Tetrarchs or ‘rulers of a quarter’ of Judea. In 43 BC, Herod became “ethnarch” or governor of Judea in his father’s place. However, just three years later, the Parthians invaded Judea. They removed Hyrcanus from the throne replacing him with his nephew, Antigonus. The pro-Roman Herod had no choice but to flee to Rome.