John Calvin Commentary 1 Peter 5:13

"She that is in Babylon, elect together with [you], saluteth you; and [so doth] Mark my son." — 1 Peter 5:13 (ASV)

That is at Babylon: Many of the ancients thought that Rome is enigmatically denoted here. The Papists gladly lay hold of this comment so that Peter may appear to have presided over the Church of Rome. The infamy of the name does not deter them, as long as they can pretend to the title of an apostolic seat; nor do they care for Christ, as long as Peter is left to them.

Moreover, as long as they can retain the name of Peter’s chair, they will not refuse to set Rome in the infernal regions. But this old comment has no basis in truth; nor do I see why it was approved by Eusebius and others, except that they were already led astray by the error that Peter had been at Rome.

Besides, they are inconsistent with themselves. They say that Mark died at Alexandria in the eighth year of Nero, but they imagine that Peter, six years after this, was put to death at Rome by Nero. If Mark formed, as they say, the Alexandrian Church and had long been a bishop there, he could never have been at Rome with Peter. For Eusebius and Jerome extend the time of Peter’s presidency at Rome to twenty-five years, but this can be easily disproved by what is said in Galatians 1 and 2.

Since Peter had Mark as his companion when he wrote this Epistle, it is very probable that he was at Babylon. This was in accordance with his calling, for we know that he was appointed an apostle especially to the Jews. He therefore chiefly visited those parts where there was the greatest number of that nation.

In saying that the church there shared in the same election, his aim was to confirm others more and more in the faith, for it was a significant matter that the Jews were gathered into the Church in such a remote part of the world.

My son: He calls Mark this as a mark of honor; however, the reason is that he had begotten him in the faith, as Paul did Timothy.

We have spoken elsewhere of the kiss of love. Now he directs this to be the kiss of love, so that the sincerity of the heart might correspond with the external act.