’God letter’ gets $4m

A 1954 letter written by Albert Einstein and known as the “God letter” because he discussed his thoughts about religion has fetched close to $4 million at an auction in New York.

The letter was written the year before the Nobel prizewinning physicist’s death.

Dated January 3, it was addressed to philosopher Eric Gutkind, who had written a book about Jewish spirituality and the pursuit of science.

In the letter Einstein declared: “The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses.”