The paper, as a historical insight in the development of views about the place of humanity in the universe, discusses the relevance of patristic thought, in particular the ideas of the 7^th century’s  Byzantine monk-theologian Maximus the Confessor for modern cosmology. It is argued that patristic ideas on the central position of humanity in the universe and the possibility of its knowledge remain relevant for modern cosmology which, in a way, allows one to elucidate old philosophical ideas. The modern scientific claim on the power of humanity to articulate the universe as a whole is compared with Maximus’ ideas on grasping the sense of creation through the God-given ability.