The story comes from early Christian legend and symbolic theology , not from the Bible itself. It appears in writings from the 3rd and 4th centuries, especially in authors like Origen, Epiphanius, Jerome, Chrysostom, and Basil, who linked Golgotha (“the Place of the Skull”) with Adam’s burial site and the idea that Christ’s blood redeemed the first man and, by extension, all humanity.

Origin of the lore

The core idea seems to have developed from a combination of:

  • The name Golgotha, understood as “place of the skull.”
  • The theological contrast between Adam and Christ, especially “as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
  • Later devotional imagination that pictured Jesus’ blood dripping through the rock onto Adam’s skull below.

What early writers said

Origen is often cited as the earliest known writer to mention a Hebrew tradition placing Adam’s grave at the crucifixion site, and later church fathers expanded the idea into a more vivid redemption image. Epiphanius and later medieval traditions added the specific detail that Christ’s blood flowed down onto Adam’s skull through a crack in the rock.

How to read it

Most historians and many Christian reference works treat this as a symbolic legend , not a verifiable historical fact. The tradition became especially popular in art and iconography, where a skull beneath the cross represents Adam, death, and Christ’s victory over sin.

Bottom line

So the lore likely originated in early Christian interpretive tradition around Jerusalem, then grew into a powerful devotional story that visually expresses redemption through Christ. It is best understood as theological symbolism rather than confirmed history.