<p>2:13 <em>I write to you fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you little children, because you know the Father</em>- See on :12. The &quot;fathers&quot;, the older ones, were those who were the &quot;sheep&quot; and not &quot;lambs&quot;, those who had had longer experience in Christ, and who had known Him &quot;from the beginning&quot;, a term often used in John for the beginning of the Lord's ministry (see on Jn. 1:1). The younger ones are commended for overcoming &quot;the evil one&quot;, initially a reference to the 'satan' of Jewish opposition to the Lord. They therefore loved their brethren and were not guilty of hating them by being part of the Jewish world's persecution program of the Christians. Knowing the Son, whose manifestation had been &quot;from the beginning&quot; of His ministry, is parallel with knowing the Father. To see / know / have relationship with the Son is to know / see the Father, as often declared in John's Gospel and letters.</p>