Question - An important characteristic of Renaissance Humanists was their emphasis on

An important characteristic of Renaissance Humanists was their emphasis on 

A) accepting ideas based on Confucian thought. 

B) the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. 

C) magic and alchemy. 

D) the idea that the glorification of the individual was sinful. 

E) classical Roman and Greek writings.

Answer:

E) classical Roman and Greek writings.

Renaissance Humanists and writers emphasized classical Roman and Greek writings, examining the worldly subjects that the Romans and Greeks had studied. These Humanist writers hoped to use these ancient writings to increase their knowledge about their own times. Petrarch, a Humanist writer, saw the fourteenth century as a time of rebirth for ancient Roman culture. Humanism was not concerned with the ideas of Confucius nor with magic and alchemy. A basic tenet of Humanism was the importance of the individual as a unique personality capable of fulfilling all of his potential.