Israel - Pair of “Pilgrimage to the Holy Land” Medals 1978 - Silver .935, 38.6g Gross Weight, 36.09g Pure Silver ...

Israel - Pair of “Pilgrimage to the Holy Land” Medals 1978 - Silver .935, 38.6g Gross Weight, 36.09g Pure Silver (1.16 oz), 45 mm and Bronze 59 mm Pair of official Israeli State medals issued in 1978 on the theme of Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The lot includes one silver medal and one matching bronze medal. The history of Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land is nearly as old as Christianity itself. For centuries, many Christians regarded the Land of Israel and Jerusalem as the spiritual center of the world and aspired to visit the holy places associated with the life of Jesus and the Apostles. The obverse features a 16th-century map created by the German cartographer Heinrich Bünting, depicting Jerusalem at the center of the three continents. Above appear the inscriptions: “Holy Land” and: “TERRA SANCTA” The reverse bears the biblical verse: “They all gather themselves together, they come to thee - Isaiah 60:4”