Have you ever found yourself in a heated debate about whether the chicken or egg came first? This classic puzzle has been stumping philosophers and scientists for over 2,000 years. But what if I told you the Bible actually provides a clear answer to this conundrum? Let’s crack open this egg of a question and see what scrambles out!
The Ancient Dilemma That Won’t Go Away
This age-old question has puzzled great minds throughout history Even Aristotle, the father of formal logic, couldn’t definitively solve this circular riddle It seems like a perfect paradox chickens come from eggs, but eggs come from chickens. How could one possibly exist before the other?
The chicken-or-egg question represents more than just a silly debate – it touches on fundamental questions about origins, creation, and how life began. Your worldview largely determines your answer, and that’s where the Bible enters the picture.
What the Bible Says About Chickens and Eggs
For those of us who believe the Bible the answer is quite straightforward. In Genesis 1 21 we read “And God created… every winged bird according to its kind.” This verse tells us that on the fifth day of creation, God made mature birds capable of reproduction.
According to the biblical account:
- God created mature birds first, not eggs
- These birds were fully formed and ready to reproduce
- They were created “according to their kind”
So from a biblical perspective, the chicken definitely came before the egg! God created adult birds with the ability to lay eggs, not eggs that would eventually hatch into birds.
The Creationist View vs. Evolutionary View
The answer to this question reveals the fundamental difference between creationist and evolutionary worldviews:
Creationist View:
- God created mature birds on day five of creation
- The chicken came first, ready to lay eggs
- Birds reproduce “after their kind” as stated in Genesis
Evolutionary View:
- Birds evolved from reptiles over millions of years
- Eventually, reptiles laid eggs that hatched into the first chickens
- Therefore, the egg came first in this worldview
The Fascinating Science Behind Chicken Eggs
Recent scientific discoveries have added an interesting twist to this debate. Chickens possess a unique gene called ovocledidin-17 (OC-17) that’s essential for egg production. This gene produces a protein that’s crucial for forming the hard shell of a chicken egg.
Here’s where it gets interesting: Without this chicken-specific protein, the chicken egg cannot form properly! This creates a problem for the “egg-first” argument because:
- Only chickens have this specific OC-17 gene
- The gene is necessary to produce a viable chicken egg
- “Near-chickens” wouldn’t have had this gene
- Therefore, a chicken had to exist first to produce the first chicken egg
This genetic discovery actually supports the biblical account! The complexity of the OC-17 gene and its 142 amino acids couldn’t have randomly appeared – it needed to be designed from the start.
Diving Deeper: What Kind of Chicken?
When we talk about chickens in the Bible, we’re referring to birds that would be classified as part of the Galliformes order, which includes modern domesticated chickens (Gallus domesticus). Classification research suggests that:
- Chickens belong to the created “kind” of the Galliformes order
- These birds were likely among the clean animals on Noah’s Ark
- After the Flood, they diversified into many species
- Early fossils resemble pheasants and similar wild birds
- Domesticated chickens (Gallus domesticus) likely appeared later
So while the biblical “bird kind” came first, the specific domesticated chicken we know today may have developed later through selective breeding within that created kind.
The Miracle of Chicken Design
Have you ever stopped to marvel at chicken design? These amazing birds:
- Can produce an egg with a shell in less than 24 hours
- Possess a unique gene (OC-17) not found in other egg-laying creatures
- Can lay up to 300 eggs per year
- Come in various colors, shapes, and sizes while remaining one species
- Carry the same DNA from conception regardless of their form (egg, chick, hen)
This incredible design points to a Creator who engineered chickens specifically to be useful to humans. Like dogs, chickens come in diverse varieties to serve different purposes – some for egg production, others for meat, some with beautiful colored eggs, and others with unique feather patterns.
The DNA Evidence: A Rock-Solid Case
For those who trust in evolutionary biology, the chicken-egg debate presents a significant challenge. The discovery of the OC-17 gene complicates the “egg-first” theory because:
- Near-chickens without this gene couldn’t produce a chicken egg
- The development of a complex gene with 142 amino acids happening randomly is statistically impossible
- You’d need two eggs developing this gene simultaneously – defying probability
As one Bible apologist noted, “The ancient philosopher couldn’t have picked a worse example for the evolutionists.” For creationists, however, this genetic evidence aligns perfectly with the biblical account of birds being created as mature, reproductive creatures.
The T-Rex Connection?
Some evolutionary scientists suggest that chickens are the closest living relatives to the T-rex (Tyrannosaurus rex). They argue that since we don’t know whether T-rex had the OC-17 gene, the debate isn’t closed. However, this speculation doesn’t change the fact that the Bible provides a clear timeline and explanation for the origin of birds.
Why This Question Matters
You might wonder why we should care about this chicken-egg debate at all. Here’s why it matters:
- Worldview Implications: Your answer reveals your underlying beliefs about origins and creation
- Biblical Reliability: This is one more example where science aligns with biblical truth
- Design vs. Chance: The complexity of chicken genetics points to design rather than random processes
- Understanding Creation: It helps us appreciate God’s purpose in creating birds for human benefit
Practical Takeaways
So what can we learn from this chicken-egg discussion?
- The Bible provides straightforward answers to questions that have puzzled philosophers for millennia
- Science often confirms biblical truth when we examine the evidence carefully
- Complex biological systems like egg production point to intelligent design
- God created chickens for human benefit, demonstrating His provision for our needs
As one biblical geneticist put it, “Dear friends and children, the Bible gets it right every time. It is Rock solid and can be trusted, eternally.”
Based on both biblical revelation and current genetic science, we can confidently answer that the chicken came before the egg. God created mature birds on day five of creation with the ability to reproduce “after their kind.”
This answer aligns perfectly with both Scripture and the genetic evidence of the specialized OC-17 gene needed for egg production. While evolutionary theorists must struggle with improbable genetic developments, the biblical account provides a straightforward and scientifically compatible explanation.
So the next time someone asks you this age-old question at a dinner party, you’ll have both biblical and scientific evidence to support your answer: the chicken came first!
Oh, and as for why the chicken crossed the road? Well, that’s a question for another day!
What do you think? Are you convinced by the biblical and scientific evidence that the chicken came first? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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 remember that the Bible was written many, many years ago in times historically and culturally different from what we know today. Plus, French Theologian, John Calvin (1509-1564) explained that the Bible is not a biology, geography or astrology textbook and so we should avoid trying to read it as one. Besides it’s not a surprise or worry that there are several things that are unclear in the Bible as- according to Calvin – God simplifies his account of how he created the world so that we might have some chance of understanding 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? | The Most Confusing Question | The Dr. Binocs Show
FAQ
Was the egg created first and later hatched?
It didn’t say egg was created and later hatched. God created the chicken then the chicken laid eggs. Chicken would be in the birds family class. When it says fowl, that means winged. Even Answers in Genesis will tell you the adult chicken was created first. AIG gives this quote on their website.
Did God create the chicken or the Fowl first?
God created the chicken then the chicken laid eggs. Chicken would be in the birds family class. When it says fowl, that means winged. Even Answers in Genesis will tell you the adult chicken was created first. AIG gives this quote on their website. “God created mature birds with the ability to reproduce. So the bird was first, ready to lay eggs.”
Did God create the chicken then the chicken laid eggs?
God created the chicken then the chicken laid eggs. Chicken would be in the birds family class. When it says fowl, that means winged. Even Answers in Genesis will tell you the adult chicken was created first. AIG gives this quote on their website.
Did God create eggs?
God did not create eggs. And besides, common sense tells us the chicken had to come before the egg, because 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 before the egg?
Discovering that the chicken came before the egg is shocking to people who put their faith in scientific theories rather than 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.
Which animal came first – a chicken or an egg?
So to answer my title question the chicken would have come first; not the egg. And there is another problem for those many scientists today who believe in evolution as the vehicle that brought man about, and that concerns the question of DNA.
Who came first, egg or chicken in the Bible?
Was it the egg first or the chicken?
The egg came first. While the concept of eggs has existed for hundreds of millions of years, the first chicken evolved much later through a process of domestication, with the final genetic mutation to produce a distinct modern chicken occurring within an egg laid by an ancient proto-chicken.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg book?
Book Cover 4 out of 4 stars What came first the chicken or the egg? by Jeff Cyr is a children’s book based on the age-old question that seeks to determine what appeared first between the chicken and the egg.
What came first, the chicken or the egg according to Islam?