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Trees and Thorns: Studies in the First Four Chapters of Genesis
"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." - From Trees and Studies in the First Four Chapters of GenesisPresented for the first time in one volume, Trees and 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.
378 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
45 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
James B. Jordan
52Ìýbooks137ÌýfollowersJames B. Jordan is a Calvinist theologian and author. He is director of Biblical Horizons ministries, a think tank in Niceville, Florida that publishes books, essays and other media dealing with Bible commentary, Biblical Theology, and liturgy.
Jordan was born in Athens, Georgia, and he attended the University of Georgia, where he received a B.A. in comparative literature and participated in Campus Crusade for Christ. He served as a military historian in the United States Air Force and attended Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi but ultimately earned an M.A. and Th.M. from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a master's thesis on slavery in the Bible. In 1993, he received a D.Litt. from the Central School of Religion for his dissertation on the dietary laws of Moses. From 1980 to 1990 Jordan was an associate pastor of a Presbyterian church in Tyler, Texas.
Jordan was born in Athens, Georgia, and he attended the University of Georgia, where he received a B.A. in comparative literature and participated in Campus Crusade for Christ. He served as a military historian in the United States Air Force and attended Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi but ultimately earned an M.A. and Th.M. from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a master's thesis on slavery in the Bible. In 1993, he received a D.Litt. from the Central School of Religion for his dissertation on the dietary laws of Moses. From 1980 to 1990 Jordan was an associate pastor of a Presbyterian church in Tyler, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 4, 2023
James Jordan is by far my favorite Christian thinker and commentator. His insights are often brilliant and often a stretch to most readers. This is the case because he reads the Bible in a different way than most. His biblical maximalism is based upon a intense belief that God does not waste any words and that God's Word is a treasure trove for those willing to learn the grammar and rhythm of Scripture.
"Trees and Thorns" is a collection of essays on Genesis 1-4 that are meant to provoke thought and discussion. He acknowledges at the outset that this is not the final word on these chapters, but are meant to engage others to consider the text in the way he has and to better understand the foundation that is laid down in the beginning of the Bible.
There is much to admire and appreciate, along with many long sections that seem rather speculative, or a stretch, but again, any reader willing to engage with Jordan will profit from these considerations.
"Trees and Thorns" is a collection of essays on Genesis 1-4 that are meant to provoke thought and discussion. He acknowledges at the outset that this is not the final word on these chapters, but are meant to engage others to consider the text in the way he has and to better understand the foundation that is laid down in the beginning of the Bible.
There is much to admire and appreciate, along with many long sections that seem rather speculative, or a stretch, but again, any reader willing to engage with Jordan will profit from these considerations.
March 31, 2021
As always with Jordan, Trees and Thorns is full of genius-level insight and dubious suggestions, a glorious mix of brilliant takes, spicy takes, questionable takes, and garbage takes. There's no question this book is worth the read for any student of Genesis, however experienced. Even if there are loads of nagging and questionable details, he does a fantastic job unpacking just how dense and rich the first few chapters of the Bible really are.
March 8, 2022
Really good stuff. One of Jordan's bests.
He definitely excels in Biblical interpretation. Tying in different themes and the meanings of names was great.
He definitely excels in Biblical interpretation. Tying in different themes and the meanings of names was great.
January 17, 2022
I echo Caleb’s review.
April 28, 2022
Outstanding! Best material on the early chapters of Genesis I’ve ever read.
July 14, 2022
This book is WILD. It's scattered, a lot of it is half-baked or not fully developed thoughts, and there are also some absolute gems. I picked and chose based off my needs. I wouldn't recommend sitting down with it and reading start to finish, but I'd use it as an exegetical reference tool. Not Jordan's best, but definitely classic Jordan.
September 8, 2012
Jordan's commentary on Genesis 2-4 runs over 200 pages, and there is so much helpful stuff here it is difficult to know how to review it. As with most of Jordan's work, discussion of a specific passage ends up as a discussion of the whole of Scripture. While there are moments in this commentary that seem less supported than others, his skill at sticking to the text - even when doing so takes him far into the "deep weird," - is on full display here. Originally written as newsletters, the chapters run from two to four pages, and you never know from place to place where the next chapter will go. It really ought to be collected together in a published form, assembling the disparate chapters together into longer sections, but the work still runs together nicely in stapled form. Available from Biblical Horizons.
March 7, 2023
Jordan at his best. A tremendous resource!
November 11, 2024
This was an insightful and in-depth look at various details of the first several chapters of Genesis. Jordan is an incredible author and relates his interpretations very clearly.
March 26, 2023
As always, very stimulating work from James Jordan. An interesting quirk about this book is that, as it is a compilation of papers written over time, he changes his views about little details throughout. It did make me appreciate the fact that Jordan really seeks to pay close attention to Scripture, and is happy to correct himself in public.
Jordan's fundamental insight, that men are analogous to trees, seems a tad weird at first� until you realise how many times in Scripture that men are trees (e.g. Psalm 1, Mark 8), or that bad men are thorns (Judges 9, 2 Samuel 23). Jordan helpfully shows how Proverbs develops this theme, and especially associates the "tree of life" motif with our words (Proverbs 15:4).
Something that comes up frequently in this book is the seven-day pattern first established in Genesis 1, but that recapitulates everywhere. I wasn't sold on every last one of the connections that Jordan drew, but overall I think he's right to see these patterns.
(In God's providence, I was reading this book at the same time there was a big dustup on the evangelical internet world about "going beyond Scripture" with weird sexual symbolism. Suffice it to say that I found this book very helpful in sifting through my thoughts on that. Turns out, Adam's seed that bears fruit is typologically related to the Second Adam's seed that bears fruit. Wild stuff.)
Highly recommended for anyone interested in biblical symbolism.
Jordan's fundamental insight, that men are analogous to trees, seems a tad weird at first� until you realise how many times in Scripture that men are trees (e.g. Psalm 1, Mark 8), or that bad men are thorns (Judges 9, 2 Samuel 23). Jordan helpfully shows how Proverbs develops this theme, and especially associates the "tree of life" motif with our words (Proverbs 15:4).
Something that comes up frequently in this book is the seven-day pattern first established in Genesis 1, but that recapitulates everywhere. I wasn't sold on every last one of the connections that Jordan drew, but overall I think he's right to see these patterns.
(In God's providence, I was reading this book at the same time there was a big dustup on the evangelical internet world about "going beyond Scripture" with weird sexual symbolism. Suffice it to say that I found this book very helpful in sifting through my thoughts on that. Turns out, Adam's seed that bears fruit is typologically related to the Second Adam's seed that bears fruit. Wild stuff.)
Highly recommended for anyone interested in biblical symbolism.
April 30, 2024
This book covers the terrain of Genesis 1-4. Jordan offers some remarkably helpful insights about the relationship of words, paragraphs, themes, and ideas in the opening chapters of the Bible. He also lost me 100 times along the way trying to make connections between the days of creation and subsequent events and trying to map out the sacred geography of Eden and the garden and how this geography later appeared in the temple. The book is filled with statements and observations rather than arguments. An interesting read with some genuinely helpful insights, mixed in with a bewildering amount of specious claims.
August 29, 2021
See Caleb’s review, he nailed it.
January 28, 2025
Excellent book!
Typical Jordan approach to Scripture. Filled with insights and connections that take you deeper and deeper into God’s Word!
If you like *Through New Eyes* you’ll love this one!
Typical Jordan approach to Scripture. Filled with insights and connections that take you deeper and deeper into God’s Word!
If you like *Through New Eyes* you’ll love this one!
January 2, 2023
This book is really a collection of monthly newsletters Jordan published as a thank you to supporters of Biblical Hotizons and, as such, includes "more bold... and preliminary" thoughts even than those with which Jordan is normally associated.
Even in this collection, later sections refer to and correct his thoughts on earlier sections, which apparently were preliminary.
Jordan has a way of observing and culling things from the text which a layperson wouldn't find in several lifetimes of biblical study, which of course the author has exceeded in his single lifetime.
Lots of thoughtful and interesting material throughout.
Even in this collection, later sections refer to and correct his thoughts on earlier sections, which apparently were preliminary.
Jordan has a way of observing and culling things from the text which a layperson wouldn't find in several lifetimes of biblical study, which of course the author has exceeded in his single lifetime.
Lots of thoughtful and interesting material throughout.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
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