“The WORD priest evolved from the word presbyter.”
Emphasis on EVOLVED. Evolution involves a gradual change from one thing to another. It suggests the role of priest in the Catholic Church differs from the role of presbyter in the early church...
Nah! It’s just etymology. I don’t think the concept of bird has changed much since the Lancashire Poet called them Bryddes 600 years ago or less.
That’s not to say that the idea hasn’t changed. I’m am suggesting that in the face of anti-catholic complaints about priests at least they held onto the word.
Mind you, what we really need to look at for either side is the word “sacerdos,” and I guess I will someday.
How’ve you been? How’s them hosses and the family?
I always try to be careful to use the word "developed" rather than "evolved" in a context like this.
Here's why: we may construe "evolution" to mean that one thing supposedly becomes another thing quite dissimilar or entirely different, of a different species (or genus or phylum, or, by analogy, something a far cry from the original); but we understand "development" to mean something maturing, or unfolding from within according to a pattern that is already intrinsic.
Examples: A small ratlike mammal may supposedly "evolve" into a horse. (So they say.) But by contrast, given proper conditions, an embryo unequivocally "develops" into a neonate, a toddler, a teenager.
So I would say that the "presbyters" who ordained new "presbyters" (including young ones like Timothy) by the imposing of hands, were not conferring the spiritual gift of "oldness" or "elderliness," but conferring a "presbyter" status which was an early development of what we call priesthood.
Even in NT times, presbyter did not mean merely "elder" (think of youthful Timothy), nor were they conferring the Aaronic priesthood, but they were designating those who carried forward the new priesthood, the one priesthood of Christ.
This new Christ-priesthood is referred to in the New Testament (I Peter 2:5, 2:9, Rev 1:6, 5:9-10) as:
‘...a holy priesthood...’
‘...a royal priesthood...’
‘...a kingdom of priests...’
and
‘...a kingdom and priests...
This is also connected to the forgiveness of sins (via Christ's priesthood)--- carried forward into the Church as St. Paul explains: "To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:10 KJV)
Not an evolution.
A development.
One you can see definitely beginning in the NT, and continuing in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, well before Constantine.