Stand in the True Grace of God: Silvanus, Babylon, and Mark

The closing names turn the letter back into a real network of early Christian relationships. Silvanus is described as a faithful brother and is connected to the writing or carrying of the letter; Mark sends greetings; and a co-elect community in “Babylon” greets the readers. Many interpreters understand Babylon here as a coded reference to Rome, but that identification should be graded rather than simply assumed. Peter summarizes his purpose as exhorting and testifying to “the true grace of God” and commands the churches to stand in it. The letter ends not in abstraction but in a network of scattered communities joined by grace, affection, and peace in Christ.