What did Albert Einstein say about the Bible?

When it comes to the intersection of science and religion, few figures are as iconic or as frequently quoted as Albert Einstein. Renowned for his revolutionary contributions to physics and his theory of relativity, Einstein’s thoughts on religion, spirituality, and the Bible have stirred curiosity and debate for decades. Was Einstein a believer? Did he value the Bible as a source of truth, or did he dismiss it as mere myth?

Einstein’s Early Encounters with the Bible

Albert Einstein was born in 1879 in the Kingdom of Württemberg, Germany, to secular Jewish parents. As a child, he attended a Catholic elementary school and received religious instruction at home. During this time, Einstein developed a fascination with the Bible. In his autobiographical notes, Einstein recalls a period of “religious ecstasy,” during which he devoured biblical stories and composed hymns in praise of God.

However, this phase did not last. By the age of twelve, Einstein began to question the literal truth of the Bible. Influenced by science books and a growing awareness of critical thinking, he found it increasingly difficult to reconcile biblical miracles with the laws of nature.

In his own words, “Through the reading of popular scientific books, I soon reached the conviction that much in the stories of the Bible could not be true.” This realization marked a turning point, leading Einstein away from traditional religious belief and toward a lifelong quest to understand the universe through reason and observation.

Einstein’s Respect for the Bible as Literature and Ethics

Despite his early disillusionment with biblical literalism, Einstein never dismissed the Bible outright. In fact, he expressed great admiration for its literary and moral qualities. In a 1929 interview for The Saturday Evening Post, Einstein remarked, “I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.” He went on to praise the Gospels for their “profound sense of beauty and moral grandeur.”

Einstein often cited the Bible as a source of ethical guidance and as a foundational text for Western civilization. In correspondence with various religious leaders and thinkers, he acknowledged that biblical teachings—when interpreted metaphorically—could inspire compassion, justice, and humility.

In a famous 1930 letter to the Swiss philosopher Eric Gutkind, Einstein wrote, “The word ‘God’ is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive, legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.” Yet, in the same letter, he emphasized his appreciation for the ethical teachings of Judaism and Christianity.

Einstein’s View on Biblical Miracles

A recurring theme in Einstein’s comments about the Bible is his skepticism regarding miracles. For Einstein, the laws of nature were unbreakable, and any claim of supernatural intervention was, by definition, a myth. In a 1943 letter to Joseph Dispentiere, Einstein wrote, “I do not believe in the God of theology who rewards good and punishes evil, who has a will like we do. My God created the laws of nature, and His will is only expressed in them.”

Einstein’s position was not antagonistic; rather, it reflected his commitment to rational inquiry. He respected the symbolic value of biblical miracles but rejected their literal occurrence. To him, the miracle stories were poetic expressions of the human longing for meaning and order in a chaotic world.

The Bible and Einstein’s Cosmic Religion

Einstein’s spiritual outlook is often described as “cosmic religion.” He rejected both atheism and traditional theism, advocating instead for a sense of wonder and awe at the rational order of the universe. In his 1930 essay “Religion and Science,” Einstein distinguished between three stages of religious development: the religion of fear, moral religion, and cosmic religion. He associated the Bible primarily with the second stage—a source of ethical values—but suggested that the highest form of religiosity transcends anthropomorphic concepts of God.

In a 1954 letter to philosopher Eric Gutkind (the so-called “God Letter”), Einstein wrote, “The Bible, a collection of venerable but still rather primitive legends.” He continued, “No interpretation, no matter how subtle, can (for me) change this.” For Einstein, the Bible was an important cultural artifact, but its stories were not literal accounts of historical events or divine actions. Instead, he found spiritual fulfillment in contemplating the harmony and intelligibility of the cosmos.

Einstein’s Jewish Identity and the Hebrew Bible

Einstein’s relationship with the Bible was also shaped by his Jewish heritage. He identified strongly with the Jewish people and saw the Hebrew Bible as a testament to their enduring spirit. In a 1938 speech to a New York audience, Einstein described Judaism as “an attempt to ennoble and sanctify life,” and praised the prophets for their “sublime moral ideals.”

Yet, Einstein was equally critical of religious dogmatism. He warned against reading the Hebrew Bible as a literal historical record or as a rulebook for life. Instead, he urged people to extract its ethical insights and apply them to contemporary challenges. For Einstein, the value of the Hebrew Bible lay in its capacity to inspire justice, mercy, and intellectual curiosity.

Einstein and the New Testament

While Einstein’s primary encounters with the Bible were through the Hebrew scriptures, he also expressed admiration for the teachings of Jesus. In a 1929 interview with George Sylvester Viereck, Einstein famously said, “No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.”

Einstein’s appreciation for Jesus was rooted in the ethical and spiritual qualities he saw in the New Testament, rather than in any belief in its supernatural claims. He regarded Jesus as “a luminous figure” whose teachings on love, forgiveness, and humility were timeless. However, Einstein rejected the idea of Jesus as the literal Son of God, viewing the divinity of Christ as a metaphor for the highest human ideals.

Einstein’s Critique of Religious Literalism

Throughout his life, Einstein cautioned against religious literalism and fanaticism. He believed that a rigid, dogmatic approach to the Bible could stifle intellectual freedom and hinder scientific progress. In his essay “Science and Religion,” he wrote, “The main source of the present-day conflicts between the spheres of religion and science lies in the concept of a personal God.”

Einstein advocated for a reinterpretation of the Bible—one that embraced its symbolic depth without insisting on factual accuracy in matters of science or history. He argued that faith and reason need not be adversaries, but could coexist if religion relinquished claims that contradicted empirical knowledge.

Einstein’s Letters: Insights into His Personal Beliefs

Many of Einstein’s most candid remarks about the Bible appear in his private letters, which have been published in various collections. These letters reveal a man who wrestled with profound existential questions, but who ultimately found solace in the mysteries of the universe rather than in scriptural dogma.

For example, in a 1947 letter to Guy H. Raner, Einstein wrote, “I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it.” He often reiterated that the Bible’s value lay in its poetry, ethics, and historical significance—not in its literal factual claims.

Conclusion: Einstein’s Enduring Dialogue with the Bible

In the end, Einstein’s comments about the Bible invite us to approach sacred texts with both reverence and critical thinking. Whether believer or skeptic, we can learn from his example: to value the wisdom of the past, to question boldly, and to find awe in the mysterious order of the cosmos.