Latin term
meaning the
runaway God or the
missing God. Often used in
reference to works of
literature which contain themes of
religious anxiety. These feelings and
expressions were largely based on the
erosion of
God's importance and centrality through the
scientific revolution.
One good example is much of the poetry Percy Bysshe Shelly wrote. There are pervasive images of a supreme but fleeing power, quite contrary to the typical Christian view of God.