eldership
Your translations are biased. The original says "του πρεσβυτεριου", "of the presbytery". The word "priest" in English derives from "presbyter". That your Protestant translations mangle the meaning is no proof of what the original means. Translate as you will, there is a status conferred by imposition of hands, i.e. sacramentally ans there is plenty of scriptural evidence (I cited some, there is more) that these "presbyters" were functioning as priests.
OK, there is no priesthood today
Cuz you say so? I count many priests as my friends.
Hebrews 2:17
Of course, but that does not mean a mortal priest cannot serve in the person of Christ the High Priest. You yourself cite 1 Peter 2:5 which positively calls a lot of people priests.
all of us, not a special group of men
In 1 Peter 2:5, indeed St. Peter describes the priesthood of all Catholic men, who have priestly duties toward their households, but as noted from scripture above, that does not mean there is not sacramental ministerial priesthood as well.
I think we are disagreeing as to what “priest” means.
Hebrews 7:14-17
“For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. For He testifies:
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”
What is a priest? It is one who offers sacrifice for sins. Before the Levitical priesthood, we see heads of households such as Job and Abraham offering sacrifices for themselves and their households. Then came the Levitical priesthood, instituted by God through Moses, and the temple worship, and the sacrifices going 24/7, and the priests were there, and rightly so, and doing their priestly duties.
Then comes Jesus, and the temple is destroyed and the priesthood is ended. Jesus is our high priest forever, according to the order of Melchizideck (he was not a Levite).
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:19-20)
My FRiend Annalex, Jesus is our High priest forever. He is the one behind the veil, it is His sacrifice that satisfied entirely and forever the wrath of God against our sins.
Jesus said “It is finished.” His work was done. The price was paid.
“Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened,and the VEIL OF THE TEMPLE was torn in two. And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into your hands I commit My spirit.” (Luke 23:44-46
The priesthood is over, in that sacrificing sense. The sacrifice has been made, and accepted. The veil of the temple is torn in two. The temple is shortly thereafter to be destroyed. We are no longer making sacrifices for sin.
We see men called as elders/presbyters/bishops. Are they told to continue to act as priests, to make sacrifices, to go to the temple and slaughter something? No. They are to teach and preach the gospel, exercise discipline, baptize new believers, etc. . . not act as any sort of priest.
Where are any apostles at any time acting as a priest? They enter a town, they begin to witness or teach or exhort, they even testify before crowds, before kings. . . but do they ever sacrifice anything? No. There is nothing to sacrifice.
Do the descriptions of the duties of these ordained men ever include anything about doing priest work?
The priesthood now is of all believers, who offer the sacrifice of praise, as we read in 2nd Peter. That’s it. The penalty has been paid. Victory has been won.