Einstein on the Existence of Jesus
Despite growing up Jewish, Einstein admits to being “enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene” (“What Life Means to Einstein: An Interview by George Sylvester Viereck,”The Saturday Evening Post, Oct. 26, 1929, p. 17).
During an interview by George Sylvester Viereck, Einstein had the following to say about Jesus....
George Viereck: “You accept the historical existence of Jesus?”
Einstein: “Unquestionably. 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. How different, for instance, is the impression which we receive from an account of legendary heroes of antiquity like Theseus. Theseus and other heroes of his type lack the authentic vitality of Jesus.”
George Viereck: “Ludwig Lewisohn, in one of his recent books, claims that many of the sayings of Jesus paraphrase the sayings of other prophets.”
Einstein: “No man,” Einstein replied, “can deny the fact that Jesus existed, nor that his sayings are beautiful. Even if some of them have been said before, no one has expressed them so divinely as he.”
Upvoted. I am glad that Einstein was touched by the words of the Nazarene. Jesus Christ did reinterate many of the sayings of Moses and Old Testament prophets, but He gave the a new spin. He would say, "You've heard it said...but now, I tell you this..." Many Jews (and moral people today) think that they can obey the ten commandments and get to heaven. Jesus would teach on a commandment, show their limited understanding of it, and then He would make the commandment even harder to keep by applying in not to external performance but the actual motives of the heart.
In this way, He showed that all of us on our best days are sinners in need of a savior. Our pride doesn't want to hear that. But I tell you what, when you are at the end of your rope, and hanging on by a thread, as you recognize how much you fall short of the glory of God, it's good news to realize you can go to heaven based on the righteousness of another.
Thank God that Jesus Christ fulfilled the law perfectly, died in our place, and rose again to give us new life!
Loved it thanks!
Me too ... I love finding these obscure quotes by agnostics, athesists, Free Thinkers and others that show the depth of their studies and search for truth
Me too so I'm happy you'll be putting those posts🙃
Einstein's views on God and the real Jesus were quite interesting. It is my understanding that he also believed in an intelligent design and designer. Good post.