Bible Lexicons

For the phrase ἀπὸ πέρυσι, ";last year,"; cf. BGU II. 531ii. 1 (ii/A.D.) εἰσὶν ἐν τῶι κεραμεῖ ἀπὸ πέρυσι (δραχμαὶ) ι ̄β ̄, P Oxy I. 114.12 (ii/iii A.D.) ἀπὸ Τῦβι πέρυσι : see Deissmann BS p. 221. Πέρυσι alone is seen in P Petr II. 4 (11).2 (B.C. 255–4) ἣν ἐσκάψαμεν πέρυσι, ";which we dug last year,"; P Giss I. 69.4 (A.D. 118–9) καὶ γὰρ πέρυσι ἐπὶ τὴν παράλημψιν τῶν ἱματίων αὐτὸν παρά σοι κατέλειψα καὶ νῦν δὲ. . ., P Oxy III. 488.31 (ii/iii A.D.) καὶ γὰρ καὶ πέρυσι πρὸς τούτοις ἕτερά με κακῶς παρέγραψεν, ";for last year also he made other false entries in his register concerning me besides this"; (Edd.), and P Fay 135.15 (iv/A.D.) χρεωστῖς γὰρ καὶ τοῦ πέρυσι λαχανοσπέρμου ἀρτάβην μίαν ἡμίσι ̣α ̣ν ̣, ";for you have been using since last year one and a half artabae of vegetable seed"; (Edd.).

The foregoing exx. appear to support the rendering ";last year,"; rather than ";a year ago"; or ";for a year past"; in 2 Corinthians 8:10; 2 Corinthians 9:2 (cf. AV, RV). For the bearing of this upon the date of the Ep., see Lake Earlier Epistles of St. Paul, p. 141 f.

For the adj. περυσινοίς cf. PSI VI. 560.8 (B.C. 257–6?) ἐμπυ ]ρ [ισ ]μὸν τῆς περυσινῆς (sc. ξυλοκοπίας), ";burning of last year’s (cut wood),"; and Chrest. I. 167.18 (B.C. 131) εἰ [ς ] πλήρωσιν τῆς περυσινῆς [ἐγ ]λήψεως (";collecting"; ). MGr πέρυσι ";of last year.";