Book excerpt: 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.