This text seems to actively incorporate a secularist worldview. While the Hebrew history of God’s interaction with man is mentioned as a driver in their cultural and intellectual development, the authors seem to view the history of Western Civilization as the story of the development of scientific modes of inquiry. This emphasis shapes how they approach Hebrew history.

For example, consider the issue of authorship. It is worth noting that readers with Biblical worldviews do not have to reject the history of the early development of the Old Testament as described in our text; they simply cannot remain there. Mosaic authorship of the first five books (the Torah), for example, is a Jewish tradition, but it is not explicitly claimed in Scripture.