Adam's womb (Augustine, Confessions 13.28) and the salty sea

Abstract

a quo [sc. Deo] si non esset lapsus Adam, non diffunderetur ex utero eius salsugo maris, genus humanum profunde curiosum et procellose tumidum et instabiliter fluidum This paper begins with a puzzle, a passage of Confessions 13 which has left commentators baffled. How can Adam have a uterus? Gibb and Montgomery, in 1927, gave the problem a name; O'Donnell, in 1992, opted for citing their comment with a quiet gloss of his own utero G–M (understatement): ‘A remarkable example of catachresis. It is to be explained, no doubt, by the fact that “Adam” is used generically rather than personally.