The first eggs ever laid definitely didnt involve chickens. But this means that a non-chicken laid a chicken egg. that’s crazy! After reading the Bible you might think chickens came first because God created chickens. But the Bible can be read in different ways.
This video suggests that at some point, some almost-chicken creature produced an egg containing a bird whose genetic makeup, due to some small mutation, was fully chicken.
Some people believe that all animals were created by God and that the Bible makes it clear that the chicken came first – but does it really say that?.
This is a tricky one- some people would argue that asking a modern question such as ‘did the chicken come before the egg?’ might not be the best one when looking at an ancient text like the Bible. But it’s a pretty cool place to start….
So where did all the eggs and chickens come from in the beginning? Science has its own answers and so does religion. But what do philosophers have to say about it?.
Let’s imagine some of the most famous philosophers – Plato, Aristotle, Hegel and Marx – walk into a bar. They order their drinks and just as they’re sitting themselves down, the bar attendant says, “Right- none of you are leaving till you settle this question – what came first, the chicken or the egg?”.
Philosophers could be stuck there for a long time because people have been wondering how we and the world came to be for as long as people have lived on Earth. Can they solve it for us? Let’s hope there’s plenty of snacks to keep them going!.
We tend to focus on the chicken and egg argument because eggs have a deep significance for us. We all came from eggs.
They represent new life, new beginnings. And on Twitter, if you don’t have your own personal picture, you’re referred to as having an “egg” instead.
Dr. Sebastian Gertz teaches philosophy at the University of Oxford. He says that chickens have probably been around longer than people.
They just weren’t a source of food for humans like they are today, they were simply another bird. It was only when it was realised that they can provide another source of protein within our diets, that humans started to rear chickens and eventually breed them on a large scale.
Based on what Dr. Gertz says, the ancient Greek philosopher Plato (who was born in 428 BC) thought that our universe was the best because it had chickens in it. For Plato, the world was made by a cosmic intellect, which means a powerful creator, who tried to make everything as good as it could be. In Plato’s philosophy, there was a big sludge that existed before the universe was created and craftsmen shaped it into our world”.
“Plato’s pupil, Aristotle said whatever created the universe continues to create it. But because our world is is very far from perfect that means the creator is doing the same thing over and over again. It doesn’t change from one day to another.”
According to Plato and Aristotle, there was a kind of gloopy soup until something clever and powerful came along and ordered the universe into the system it is today.
Prof. Greger Larson (School of Archaeology, the University of Oxford) and Dr Holly Miller (University of Nottingham) discuss the link between dinosaurs and chickens, and how modern scientists and farmers are trying to selectively breed chickens so that theyre more like their leaner, hardier ancestors.
Drs Suzannah Williams and Dagan Wells explore the secrets and processes behind human fertilisation. Sperm and eggs must face huge challenges before they even meet. After fertilisation, they go on to form a small ball of cells with huge potential.
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The age-old question of which came first, the chicken or the egg, has puzzled philosophers, scientists, and thinkers for centuries. Though it may seem like a lighthearted riddle, the question has deeper implications about the origins of life itself. As believers, when we examine this question through the lens of Scripture, we gain insight into how God created the natural world.
The Evolutionary Perspective
From an evolutionary viewpoint, the egg had to come first. The idea says that over millions of years, birds slowly changed from reptiles to birds. In the end, a snake laid an egg with the first real chicken inside it. So in the evolutionary timeline, the egg preceded the chicken.
Some recent scientific research tried to definitively prove this conclusion. Scientists from Britain found that an egg’s hard shell needs a protein called ovocledidin-17 (OC-17). Scientists say that since the protein is only found in chickens, this proves that the chicken must have existed before eggs. They believe this ends the debate of which came first. However, the evolutionary view still can’t explain how the first chickens came to be. In addition, it doesn’t explain why suddenly fully-grown chickens that can lay eggs show up. Evolutionary scientists may have figured out that modern chicken eggs need adult chickens to hatch, but they still don’t know how the first chickens got there.
The Biblical Creation View
The Bible has a very different view on how the chicken and egg came to be. The book of Genesis says that on Days 5 and 6 of creation week, God made birds and land animals.
According to Genesis 1:21–24, the Bible says that God made all living things “according to their kinds.” This means He made different kinds of creatures, like chickens that are already able to have babies “after their kind.” From time to time, chickens did not change into something different. God supernaturally created mature chickens designed to lay eggs.
The biblical creation view is consistent with the scientific evidence. Science confirms that chickens must pre-exist eggs thanks to necessities like the OC-17 protein. But unlike evolution, the creation view acknowledges the hand of God in miraculously creating mature chickens on Day 6. God intentionally designed chickens with the ovocledidin-17 protein and ability to form egg shells from the very beginning.
So Scripture’s record combined with scientific research indicates the chicken came before the egg, consistent with Genesis 1. God created chickens first, then the chickens began laying eggs afterward to fill the earth.
Examining the Biblical Hebrew
Looking closely at the biblical language used for the flying and land creatures offers some additional insights about chicken origins
The Hebrew word used for the flying creatures in Genesis 1:21 is ‘`owph’ meaning ‘winged birds’. Analyzing how this word is used elsewhere reveals it can refer to specific birds like chickens.
Later in Genesis, the Hebrew word ‘takhiyn’ refers to domesticated barnyard fowl like chickens. Some scholars suggest ‘takhiyn’ specifies the kinds of birds implied by the broader term ‘`owph’. This indicates chickens may have been among the winged birds God initially created on Day 5.
So biblical creation holds that God supernaturally created prototypical chickens able to lay eggs on Day 5 or 6. After the global flood, as birds diversified and spread across the earth, modern chickens developed within their kind. But Scripture maintains the first chickens capable of forming shells pre-dated the first chicken eggs.
Which Came First – The Original Chicken “Kind” or Eggs?
While the Bible clearly states God created birds before eggs, what about the more specific question of domesticated chickens and their eggs? Can we determine if the first modern chicken or first chicken egg came first?
Creation scientists have studied chickens and similar bird traits to try tracing back to their original created “kind.” This research indicates chickens likely belong to the same Genesis “kind” as pheasants, turkeys, and other game birds.
The earliest known chicken fossils resemble these wild game birds. Domestic chickens may have arisen after the flood as the game bird lineages diversified into modern species.
So the first pure domestic chicken likely descended from a non-chicken game bird parent “kind” that God created. This ancestor bird kind would have had the protein and ability to form egg shells. At some point after creation, it likely laid an egg that hatched the first official domestic chicken.
Therefore, while God created birds before eggs initially, the first modern domestic chicken egg probably came just before the first domestic chicken hatched. Of course, this original domestic chicken egg still traced back to the created game bird kinds possessing the in-built egg-laying capacity.
When examining the chicken and egg question, we find evolutionary explanations inadequate. Only the biblical creation model can account for the origin of mature chickens and their complex egg-laying ability.
Scripture documents God miraculously creating birds before eggs at the dawn of creation. This explains the evidence that modern chickens must pre-exist eggs. Some thousands of years later, the first domestic chicken egg derived from its created game bird ancestors probably preceded the first domestic chicken hatching.
Yet behind both the original chicken “kind” and the first domestic chicken stands the purposeful creative power of God. An evolutionary process could never invent the amazing complexity of chickens or their reproductive abilities. As Christians, the chicken and egg question provides a glimpse into how God spoke creatures into being that reflect His wisdom and design. The origins debate allows us to glorify the Lord who fashioned chickens to multiply “after their kind” from the very beginning.
So what does this all mean? What’s the best way to read the Bible?
Firstly, there’s no ‘best’ way- it’s open to us to find our own meaning(s). Also, it’s important to keep in mind that the Bible was written a very long time ago, during very different historical and cultural times than the ones we live in now. Also, John Calvin, a French theologian who lived from 1509 to 1564, said that the Bible is not a textbook for biology, geography, or astrology, so we shouldn’t try to read it that way. Anyway, it’s not a surprise or a cause for concern that the Bible doesn’t make everything clear. According to Calvin, God simplifies his story of how he made the world so that we can understand it. We cannot be expected to understand everything that God knows (‘divine wisdom’). And so the Bible explains things in simpler terms- a bit like a parent explaining something complicated to a child.
For this reason, many Theologians and Philosophers suggest that we should avoid taking everything written in the Bible literally. In the past, this has got some people into trouble such as Bishop Ussher (1581- 1656) who tried to work out an exact timeline of when God made the Universe. From his calculations, he believed that God started his work on the world on the evening of Sunday 23rd October 4004 BC!
Ussher’s work inspired several Geologists to research how old the Earth is- some with the aim of disproving this idea that it was created in 6 days. Such expeditions really frustrated many people who thought that we should read the Bible in a more open minded way. Artist, John Ruskin (1819-1900) famously said:
“If only the Geologists would let me alone, I could do very well, but those dreadful Hammers! I hear the clink of them at the end of every cadence of the Bible verses”
So bringing us back to our Big Question, it’s not entirely clear in the Bible who came first: the chicken or the egg. Instead, it’s up to us to carefully develop our own interpretation. What do you think?
This article was developed in discussion with Chris Oldfield, Kings College London.
But what have the great philosophers of our time said about this?
So where did all the eggs and chickens come from in the beginning? Science has its own answers and so does religion. But what do philosophers have to say about it?
Let’s imagine some of the most famous philosophers – Plato, Aristotle, Hegel and Marx – walk into a bar. They order their drinks and just as they’re sitting themselves down, the bar attendant says, “Right- none of you are leaving till you settle this question – what came first, the chicken or the egg?”
Our philosophers could be stuck there a very long time! For the question of how we and the world came into being has puzzled people for as long as our planet has had people living on it. Can they solve it for us? Let’s hope there’s plenty of snacks to keep them going!
We tend to focus on the chicken and egg argument because eggs have a deep significance for us. We all came from eggs.
They represent new life, new beginnings. And on Twitter, if you don’t have your own personal picture, you’re referred to as having an “egg” instead.
Dr Sebastian Gertz teaches philosophy at the University of Oxford and explains that chickens have probably existed for as long as we have.
They just weren’t a source of food for humans like they are today, they were simply another bird. It was only when it was realised that they can provide another source of protein within our diets, that humans started to rear chickens and eventually breed them on a large scale.
Dr Gertz explains that “The ancient Greek philosopher Plato (born in 428 BC) would say our universe is the best universe there is, which is why it has chickens in it! For Plato, it was a cosmic intellect [a powerful creator], which made the world and tried to make everything as good as it can possibly be. In Plato’s philosophy, there was a big sludge that existed before the universe was created and craftsmen shaped it into our world”.
“Plato’s pupil, Aristotle said whatever created the universe continues to create it. But because our world is is very far from perfect that means the creator is doing the same thing over and over again. It doesn’t change from one day to another.”
According to Plato and Aristotle, there was a kind of gloopy soup until something clever and powerful came along and ordered the universe into the system it is today.
So who won the race?
Chapter 1 of Genesis (the first book of the Bible) is a poetic song- thought to have been written by the prophet Moses. It shares a story of how the Earth came about which includes the creation of Heaven, light, the seas, the sky, animals and finally the first man and woman. The first mention of our feathery friends (or ‘fowls’ as they’re more generally known in the Bible) comes in verse 20. It says ‘Let …fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.’ In other words, ‘let birds fly freely in the sky’.
Shortly after (in verse 21) we hear how chickens and other birds and animals are actually created:
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Now returning to our Big Question, this suggests that chickens were the front runners! But it’s not quite that simple. This is because many researchers say that Genesis and the Bible in general, is a story. It has characters and they do things that we might not understand but that’s okay. Since when we read on, we learn more about them which helps us get a picture of why they act as they do.
In the case of Genesis, before there’s mention of birds, we hear how on the third day God created grass and trees which all came from seeds. Now if we took seeds to be a metaphor for something deeper, the seeds could represent eggs and the beginning of new life. Ancient Theologian, Augustine (354-430 AD) suggested that lines like these in Genesis, portray God to be more of a gardener rather than a watch-maker. He sows seeds then lets them grow and naturally flourish by themselves. God doesn’t necessarily have a final design in mind nor create the final product.
Spot the chicken! ‘The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man’ (1615) – painting by Jan Brueghel the Elder and Pieter Paul Rubens
And so considering this, you might argue that God created eggs first as well as a safe environment for them to develop (warmth, shelter etc.), and it was after this that chickens naturally came about. But this is just one of many ways of looking at it. This would’ve likely got the thumbs up from Biologist Charles Darwin (1809-1882) though. He famously argued that all the different types (species) of animals, trees and plants evolved from simple life forms and have changed over time to adapt to their environment.
“What Came First: The Chicken or the Egg?” | Two Minute Teaching | Reasons for Hope
FAQ
Who came first, egg or chicken in the Bible?
By the end of the 16th century, the well-known question seemed to have been regarded as settled in the Christian world, based on the origin story of the Bible. In describing the creation of animals, it allows for a first chicken that did not come from an egg.
Which was born first, egg or chicken?
Chickens come from eggs, but eggs come from chickens. So which came first? Most biologists state unequivocally that the egg came first. At their most basic level, eggs are just female sex cells.
What came first, the chicken or the amniotic egg?
Chickens lay amniotic eggs, a trick they inherited from their reptilian ancestors. So that means that the egg came first, before the chicken! Feel free to share this tidbit with your family during your next meal, maybe as you enjoy an omelette together!.
Did the chicken come before the egg?
Some people are shocked to learn that the chicken came before the egg. They believe in scientific theories instead of the Bible. But to Christians, this is just another instance of science catching up with what we already know from God’s word. The Biblical account of God creating birds tells us the chicken came before the egg.
Did God create eggs?
God did not create eggs. Also, it makes sense that the chicken came before the egg since there had to be a chicken to sit on the egg. People more educated than me have put together lists of Scriptures showing the scientific accuracy of the Bible.
Did the chicken come first?
Biblically speaking, the answer is simple. The chicken came first. God made things in a state of maturity. He made Adam as a full-grown man (Gen. 1:26-31; 2:7-8), not as an infant. We can then conclude that God’s manner of creation was to create chickens in maturity, who then laid eggs. However, an evolutionist might say that neither came first.
Which animal came first – a chicken or an egg?
So to answer my title question the chicken would have come first; not the egg. There is also a problem with DNA for the many scientists today who think evolution is the way humans evolved.
Are chickens based solely on the biblical narrative?
The present writer says the “chicken” based solely on the Biblical narrative, but I am pleased to pass on the recent scientific findings that support the Biblical stance. We can start by summarizing what we know about chickens, eggs, and genetics: Chickens and their eggs have the same DNA.
Did God create a chicken on the 5th day?
And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. So look up at Genesis 1:21 … “every winged fowl after his kind:”. I think it is safe to say that since a chicken is a winged fowl that God created them on the fifth day. God created the animals (and humans) and then made them to multiply (Genesis 1:22).