The word in Titus 1:5 which is translated as "priest" (or as you would have it, as "elder") is in the Greek presbuteros. While it does mean "elder" in Greek, it was rendered as presbyter in Latin, which became priester in German and finally priest in English. Thus priest is just the English rendering of the Greek presbuteros and is a proper translation.
The difficulty in English is that in Catholic Europe the only experience that anyone had of a sacrificial temple priesthood was that that of the Catholic priest/presbyter at the Mass. Thus this term, "priest", came to be used for all such temple officials.
When we turn the to word "priest" in 1 Peter 2:5 we find that the Greek word is hieratenma, a "sacrficial temple priesthood". St. Jerome rendered this in Latin by sacerdotium. Unfortunately in English we have only one term, "priest", to translate both "presbyter priest" and "sacrificial temple priest".
This points to a serious flaw in the theory of sola scriptura. Few layman will have the proper training to even attempt to try to interpret the Bible on their own. Thus they must rely on the skill and authority of others. In essence, all that Protestantism has done is move the authority of Biblical interpretation from the episcopacy established by Jesus Christ to self-proclaimed academics. After 500, Protestantism is just as dependent on its own tradition as Catholicism.
But to return to the original subject, the Bible itself shows that our Lord established the authority of the Apostles which they then continued in the episcopacy through the laying on of hands. Whatever else the Protestants might claim, they do not posses this Christ established Biblical office from which they separated themselves when they left the Catholic Church.
If it is the proper translation, as you claim, then why is the Greek "presbyteros" always translated "presbyters" [not "priests"] everywhere that it appears in my Catholic Bible??? Were those Catholic Bible scholars in error???
First thing you have to do is get the correct translation...The right translation says elders...Not priests...And how do we know this is so??? Because even your own Catholic bible says:
1Pe 2:5 Be you also as living stones built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
We are all a holy priesthood...Your very own Catholic bible confirms this...Jerome's translation...
So you can't have priests that are set apart from the priesthood...Wouldn't make sense...
So, there is no such thing as a church constitution that has priests...
Thus priest is just the English rendering of the Greek presbuteros and is a proper translation.
Nope...Can't buy that...
ἱερεύς
hiereus
hee-er-yooce'
From G2413; a priest (literally or figuratively): - (high) priest.
גּדל גּדול
gâdôl gâdôl
gaw-dole', gaw-dole'
From H1431; great (in any sense); hence older; also insolent: - + aloud, elder (-est), + exceeding (-ly), + far, (man of) great (man, matter, thing, -er, -ness), high, long, loud, mighty, more, much, noble, proud thing, X sore, (´) very.
Priest and elder are two different words in Greek...They are two different words in English...And I'm not really interested in what some Latin translations are...