This is a variation on Apophatic theology [0], the belief that the Devine can only be understood by what it is not. A great example of it can be found in Ch 4 &

This is a variation on Apophatic theology [0], the belief that the Devine can only be understood by what it is not. A great example of it can be found in Ch 4 & 5 of "The Mystical Theology" by Dionysius the Areopagite, circa 500CE. [1]. In Western thought, these ideas are closely tied to Plato's Theory of Forms [2]. [0] http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mysticism/#2 http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mysticism/#2 [1] http://www.esotericarchives.com/oracle/dionys1.htm#chap4 http://www.esotericarchives.com/oracle/dionys1.htm#chap4 [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_Forms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_Forms