Augustine of Hippo : "These things have I written unto you concerning them which seduce you; that ye may know that ye have an unction, and the unction which we have received from Him may abide in you." In the unction we have the sacramental sign of a thing unseen, the virtue itself is invisible; the invisible unction is the Holy Ghost; the invisible unction is that charity, which, in whomsoever it be, shall be as a root to him: however burning the sun, he cannot wither. All that is rooted is nourished by the sun's warmth, not withered. — Ten Homilies on 1 John 3 Bede : These things I have written to you about those who deceive you. By deceivers whom he names, not only are heretics to be understood, who seek to turn away from the faith by wicked doctrine, but also those who, by allurements or by adversities of the world, detract the minds of the weak from the promise of eternal life, either by enticing them evilly or by frightening them. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles Hilary of Arles : People want to deceive us in order to teach you some heresy or other. John has written in order to warn us about this. — INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 1 JOHN Oecumenius : I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. And as for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you. And you do not need anyone to teach you, but as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, just as it has taught you, remain in him. "Truly, concerning these things", John adds: "I have written to you about those who deceive you": that is, because of the heresies that have emerged. Then he again adds what we mentioned before, making it so that his speech is not burdensome to them, "the anointing that you received from him remains in you." What that is, John already has said, namely that the Holy Spirit speaks. Therefore, since you have the Holy Spirit, you have it firmly within yourselves, you do not need anyone to teach you: but as the anointing or the Spirit itself teaches you about all things, just as it has taught you, abide in Him (verse 28): for it is true, and it is not a lie, that which it has taught you. "And the anointing that you have received." This is the sequence of the letters: And you, since the anointing which you have received from him remains in you, do not need anyone to teach you. — Commentary on 1 John