What is the his­to­ry of the sec­u­lar? The ques­tion is hard to answer, not least because his­to­ry and the sec­u­lar coor­di­nate in such a con­fus­ing fash­ion. His­to­ry often seems to be an effect of the sec­u­lar: once sec­u­lar, we will aban­don final­ly God’s time for human time.