From the fourteenth century, there developed in Italy a new way of looking at the world which has come to be called humanism. Humanism can seem a difficult phenomenon to pin down and define, not least because no one used the word at the time. Early nineteenth-century historians newly coined it from words actually in use in the late fifteenth century, when it became common to talk about the liberal non-theological arts subjects in a university curriculum as 'humanae litterae' (literature human rather than divine in focus), while a scholar with a particular enthusiasm for these subjects was called a 'humanista.' A further complication is that 'humanist' has come to be used in modern times for someone who rejects the claims of revealed religion. This was not a feature of the movement we are considering. The vast majority of humanists were patently sincere Christians who wished to apply their enthusiasm to the exploration and proclamation of their faith. They were trying to restore a Christian perfection to humanity.Diarmaid MacCullough in his massive and excellent book titled Christianity: the First Three Thousand Years
The 'new atheists' claim 'humanism' and 'humanist' for their exclusive use, but the terms originated in a Christian context. Not only did Christians have the terms first, early humanists knew their theology, which is not the case with a good many of the new atheists of today, those who wish to stamp out religion as an all-around pernicious influence throughout the world.
'Know your enemy,' as Sun Tzu said in The Art of War.
