Trees and Thorns: Studies in the First Four Chapters of Genesis

Presented for the first time in one volume, Trees and Thorns: Studies in the First Four Chapters of Genesis compiles studies from James B. Jordan on more than 130 aspects of stories in the first four chapters of the Book of Genesis, including observations about the biblical distinction between man and woman, ground water and heavenly water, permission and prohibition, the war waged by the Serpent against the Bride and the Messianic Seed, and more.

Jordan's book shows how the narrative features and patterns in the early chapters of the Bible are critical to understanding the rest of God's Word as well as the effect of these formative chapters on our understanding of worship, theology, and the sacraments.

EXCERPT:

"Adam, made of the ground, would by implication bring forth new trees, and thus trees and plants are among the symbols for human beings throughout the Bible. The woman taken from Adam's side was the first such tree.

"She would have a 'seed,' language taken from the trees and plants of Gen. 1:11-12. Her womb would yield 'fruit' (Gen. 30:2). Like the soil on the original third day, the Adamic soil brought forth a plant seeding seed and trees that had fruit with seed in her."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James B. Jordan was born in 1949. His father was a professor of French Literature and his mother a piano teacher and a poet. He served as a Military Historian in the U.S. Air Force for four years. He began seminary training at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS, and graduated with an M.A.R. and a Th.M. from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, majoring in Systematic Theology. In 1987, he founded Biblical Horizons in Niceville, FL.

Beginning in 1999, Jordan served part time as Professor of Biblical Studies at the Reformed Theological Seminary of St. Petersburg, Russia. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including From Bread to Wine: Creation, Worship and Christian Maturity, Through New Eyes: Developing a Biblical View of the World, and The Handwriting on the Wall: A Commentary on Daniel, as well as scores of monographs and short essays.