Ancient souvenir was a pocket-sized lamb of Bethlehem for Christian pilgrims
Jessica Steinberg covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center. Token with 'The Nativity,' Syria-Palestine, 6th-7th century CE, Terracotta, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Bequest of Dan Barag, Jerusalem (Courtesy Eli Posner) A unique Byzantine-era blessing token featuring baby Jesus was recently unveiled by the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, harking back to a time before a pandemic kept pilgrims from thronging Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity on Christmas. Eulogia, Greek for blessed objects, were small souvenirs collected by early Christians on their pilgrimages to the Ho...
Source: timesofisrael.com