I also admired the Greek Orthodox churches in Jerusalem, which were quite beautiful and ornate, much like Hindu temples with their images, incense and candles. I learned that the Greek Orthodox tradition is the older form of Christianity. All the old churches in Jerusalem are Greek  Orthodox, which was the religion of the Eastern Roman and Byzantine Empire. The Roman Catholics didn’t get to Jerusalem until the time of the Crusades and don’t  represent either original Christianity or its forms near its homeland in Israel, which were more mystical in  nature.

However, Christianity in all its forms appeared to be permeated with a sense of sorrow, the crucified savior, and a burden of original sin. I think there is a deeper meaning for this. Christianity reflects a  mystical vision that was crushed before it could really develop. From a Jewish religious sect opposing  the Romans it eventually assumed the power of the Roman State and came to embody the very tyranny that it first opposed. A study of the Dead Sea Scrolls reveals that the early Christians were one of many related Jewish movements of the times opposed to the Romans. Most of the teachings attributed to Jesus were part of older Jewish teachings, including many of his  parables.