PROVENANCE
PROVENANCE
"She who is in Babylon” sends greetings (1 Pet. 5:13), which seems to indicate that Rome was the place of origin. "Babylon” was a symbolic way of referring to Rome, a name that expressed something of Rome’s pride, luxury, immorality, and godlessness.
13 It is highly unlikely that the Babylon of the Old Testament is meant, for the Jews were chased out of that city well before this time (see Josephus, Ant. 18.371-79), and anyway Babylon was in decline. We have no reason for thinking that Peter’s missionary journeys ever took him to this area, and in any case it is hard to think of a reason that would bring Peter, Mark, and Silvanus there at the same time. There was a military strong point in Egypt called Babylon, but there seems no reason for thinking this location is in view (though Klijn does so). Rome is usually accepted, and rightly so. 14