“Was Adam a ‘man’ as we understand what a man is today? And what was taken out of Adam? An actual, literal rib?” The story of Adam and Eve is one of the most widely accepted narratives in Christian tradition. It’s taught as history, recited as truth, and believed to be the origin of human existence. But what if we’ve misunderstood the very nature of Adam himself? What if Adam was never a physical man in the way we think? In Behind The Torn Veil, the author raises this exact question—not to mock belief, but to pierce through a centuries-old veil of literal interpretation. From the opening chapters, the book sets its tone: “Should we interpret and understand scriptures literally, to the letter? … Or are they veiled heavily with many symbols?” It becomes clear early on that the author does not aim to rewrite scripture, but to restore its deeper meanings.

Let’s start with Genesis 2:7: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Most Christians believe this verse refers to the physical formation of man. But the author asks—if God is Spirit, then what does it mean for Him to form man of the dust? Was it the literal physical body, or a symbolic process that points to something more? Further in Genesis 2:21–22, we read: “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam… and he took one of his ribs… and the rib… made he a woman.” This imagery is clear, but the author urges readers not to confuse vividness with physicality. He writes, “I once met a person who believed that men have one fewer rib than women. Is this belief a travesty of truth—or is it genuine faith that moves mountains?” The challenge, then, is not whether scripture is true, but whether we’re understanding it through the correct lens.

The book posits that Adam’s creation is deeply symbolic. “If someone says, ‘I just took the meat out of the freezer,’ then where had that meat been? It must have been in the freezer, right?” The same logic is applied to Adam. If woman came out of man, then something already existed within Adam that could be externalized. Was it truly a rib? Or was it a symbolic expression of unity and separation—of divine and human energy splitting into duality? This is where the author begins to dismantle the idea of Adam as a singular, physical man. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image… male and female created he them.” This creation predates the rib story. Here, male and female were created together—unified. Yet in Genesis 2, we’re told the woman is formed after the man. If the Genesis writer was inspired, why do the accounts appear so inconsistent?

The answer lies in symbolism. The author suggests that what we often read as physical events are spiritual allegories. Adam, in this view, was never a flesh-and-blood man wandering through a garden, but a representation of the first emanation of conscious identity—a spiritual being that later descended into the realm of matter. And this descent is what Genesis 3 captures. After Adam and Eve eat the fruit of knowledge, they become “aware of their nakedness.” But the author asks, “Were they naked in the sense of not wearing physical clothes—or were they naked in that they had become self-aware in a new dimension?” This awakening, this “fall,” is not a sin in the physical sense, but a step in consciousness.

To support this, the book references Romans 5:14, where Paul refers to Adam as “a figure of him that was to come,” pointing to Christ. If Adam is a “figure,” then he is symbolic—a template, not a man. The author echoes this point: “Adam represents the first soul that came into separation, and Christ represents the soul that finds union again.” This theme of symbolic humanity is repeated through scripture. The “coats of skins” given to Adam and Eve after the fall are traditionally viewed as animal skins. But the author offers a more mystical view: perhaps these “coats” represent incarnation into physical bodies—a spiritual being being “clothed” in flesh.

He also questions how belief in a literal Adam affects the entire foundation of Christian doctrine. If Adam sinned physically, then redemption must also be physical. But if Adam “fell” spiritually, then redemption must occur in the spirit. “Did Jesus suffer in flesh alone, or did he rise to restore the soul’s awareness of its divine origin?” the author asks. And this brings us to Christ. Just as Adam’s story is misunderstood when taken literally, so is the resurrection of Jesus. In John 6:63, Jesus says, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

If we are truly made in the image of God, and God is Spirit, then we must begin with the premise that we, too, are spiritual first. And Adam, the so-called first man, was not a man at all—but a mirror of our divine potential, waiting to be recognized again.