1 Corinthians 2:8
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
How could Paul say the rulers of this world did not know Christ, when Christ came before them at His trial?
PROBLEM: The apostle affirms that “none of the rulers of this age knew [Christ]; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” Yet Jesus came before both Jewish and Gentile rulers, including Pilate, Herod, and Caiaphas (cf. Matt. 26–27; Mark 14–15; Luke 22–23; John 18–19).
SOLUTION: First of all, Paul does not say they did not know Christ; he said they did not know the “mystery” about Christ’s redemption that was hidden for ages (1 Corinthians 2:7-8; cf. Ephesians 3:3-4). Second, they knew that they had allowed Christ to be crucified (cf. Matthew 21:38), but they “did it in ignorance” (cf. Acts 3:17), not realizing the implications of their decision. They were morally blinded (cf. John 16:3), even though they were physically and socially aware of the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified.