“She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son.” (1 Peter 5:13).
This reference to “Babylon” offers some interesting possibilities that add to the depth of our understanding of this epistle. You see, this passage may offer a clue that identifies its place of origin. While “Babylon” may seem to be a straightforward reference, the location and identity of that place is a subject of great debate.
For instance, some associate this reference to “She who is in Babylon” with Peter’s wife. Since 1 Corinthians 9:5 indicates that Peter’s wife was involved in his ministry, it’s possible that Peter conveyed her greetings as part of this letter. However, many believe that “Babylon” represents a specific location or a coded reference to another place.
The following commentator summarizes these latter possibilities…
“There is some question as to where Peter was when he wrote this letter. He offers greetings from the church in Babylon (1 Pet. 5:13), but we aren’t sure what he meant by Babylon. There are those who suggest that this is literal Babylon, which was in present-day Iraq. There are others who say that Peter was actually in Rome at this time and was using Babylon as a code word for Rome. This is probably the majority opinion among scholars. (Revelation 1:7 is another passage of Scripture that seems to refer to Rome as Babylon).” (1)
So why would Peter adopt a code word to refer to the city of Rome? Two possibilities emerge in answer to that question. First, Rome was known for its pervasive immortality. Therefore, it was natural to associate Rome with ancient Babylon, a place with a similarly immoral reputation. Next, it’s important to remember that Roman mail delivery was highly insecure, and Roman government officials could open any piece of mail that aroused their suspicion.
That brings us to the emerging political climate of that era. For example, Acts 18:2 recounts the expulsion of the Jewish people from Rome during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius. Since the ancient church largely consisted of Jewish men and women, it was unwise to draw attention to their presence there. In addition, state-sponsored persecution also represented a growing concern during the latter part of the first century.
Thus, it was inadvisable to alert the Roman authorities to the existence of a Christian community within their capital city. These realities may explain why Peter may have coded this reference within his letter.
(1) Chuck Smith, The Word For Today Bible, “Introduction To The First Epistle Of Peter” [pg. 1640]