Claim 5 of 13 · Case 08 · Science
Einstein assumed a static, eternal universe and changed his own equations to keep it that way, a move he later regarded as a serious mistake.
One claim from the free evidence repository at apologetics.pro.
The assumption of an eternal universe was so strong that even Einstein built it into his physics. When general relativity implied the universe should be changing, he added a term, the cosmological constant, to force a static result. After the evidence for expansion came in, he dropped it and treated its introduction as an error. The famous line that he called it his biggest blunder comes secondhand from George Gamow, and scholars debate whether Einstein used those exact words. What is not in doubt is that he came to see the move as a mistake.
Backed by 2 pieces of evidence
Einstein’s 1917 cosmological constant
This is direct evidence that the eternal universe was not a fringe view but the default even for the era’s greatest physicist. It sets up how surprising the later evidence for a beginning was.George Gamow’s report of the blunder remark
Einstein reversed himself on the static universe, which is the real point. The catchy quote is probably true in substance but should be stated with care rather than as a certain word for word fact.