Rather, disrespecting the distinction the Holy Spirit manifesty made is what is ludicrous.
The word, priest is simply the Anglicization of the word, presbyter, which, as you know, appears several times in the bible.
Which as justifying for using the same title for NT presbuteros as hiereus is based upon an etymological fallacy, as if etymologies are definitions of what a word originally meant, but which they are not. "Gay" clothing in James 2:3 does not refer to homosexual dress, while distinctive titles are important.
And as said, what occurred is that "presbuteros" in Greek (presbyter in Latin) was translated into English as "preost," and then "priest," but which also became the word used for "hierus" ("sacerdos" in Latin), losing the distinction the Holy Spirit made by never distinctively giving NT presbuteros the distinctive title hiereus.
In Latin and Greek, presbyter and hierus are separate words.
That is what i expressed, and thus failing to respect the distinction that the Holy Spirit made by NEVER giving the title hierus - which together with archiereus occurs 152 times - to NT presbuteros shows contempt for Him, but which change was a later development, made due to imposed functional equivalence, supposing NT presbyteros engaged in a unique sacrificial ministry as their primary function.
All believers are called to sacrifice (Rm. 12:1; 15:16; Phil. 2:17; 4:18; Heb. 13:15,16; cf. 9:9) and all constitute the only priesthood (hieráteuma) in the NT church, that of all believers, (1Pt. 2:5,9; Re 1:6; 5:10; 20:6).
You assume that a definite chronology can be found in the New Testament, that any true development is one that is based on terms used in a canonical text. As to a hierarchy, one thing is sure that under the New Testament that it would not be based on blood-lines but on the relationship between the Apostles and the men who succeeded them as leaders of the Church. Assuming that Hebrews was address to Jewish priests who had join the Church, that is what is meant by speaking of the Christ as being a priest in the line of Melchizedek rather than a Levite. The hierarchy then is in linear succession to Jesus as ministers of his sacrifice. How we are to take this, then, depends on how we view the Eucharist and its celebration, which ceremonially replaces the ancient animal sacrifices.