Belief in the historicity of Adam has been held firmly throughout the history of the church. In the light of modern biblical criticism and the evolutionary sciences, some conservative Christians are now questioning whether or not Adam was a real person. This paper argues that the existence of Adam in the opening chapters of scripture reflects an ancient understanding of biological origins. More specifically, the quick and complete ("de novo") creation of life is the result of retrojecting an ancient phenomenological perspective of living organisms back in time to the origin of the world. The apostle Paul's references to Adam are rooted in this ancient scientific understanding of human origins. In moving beyond the belief in the historicity of Adam, this paper concludes that Adam is an incidental, though necessary, ancient vessel that transports inerrant messages of faith regarding the human spiritual condition. (Contains 2 figures.)