Editing Presbyter (section)

==Modern usage==
{{See also|Holy orders}}

The [[Roman Catholic Church]], the [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox Church]], the [[Oriental Orthodoxy|non-Chalcedonian churches]], and similar groups typically refer to presbyters in English as [[priest]]s (''priest'' is etymologically derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''presbyteros'' via the [[Latin]] ''presbyter''). Collectively, however, their "college" is referred to as the "[[presbyterium]]", "presbytery", or "presbyterate".

This usage is seen by most Protestant Christians as stripping the [[laity]] of its [[priesthood of all believers|priestly status]], while those who use the term defend its usage by saying that, while they do believe in the ''priesthood'' (Greek ἱερεύς ''hiereus'' – a different word altogether, used in Rev 1:6, 1 Pet 2:9) of all believers, they do not believe in the ''eldership'' of all believers. This is generally true of [[United Methodist Church|United Methodists]], who ordain elders as [[clergy]] ([[pastor]]s) while affirming the priesthood of all believers. The [[Methodist Church of Great Britain]] has formally referred to its presbyters as such (rather than the common title of 'minister') since 1990, from when it was possible to be ordained as a Methodist [[deacon]], which is also an order of Methodist ministry. The evangelical (or ultra low-church) [[Anglican Diocese of Sydney]] has abolished the use of the word "priest" for those ordained as such. They are now referred to as "presbyters". [[Presbyterian Church (USA)|Presbyterians]] sometimes refer to their ruling elders and teaching elders (ministers) as presbyters.

The website of the [[International Standard Version]] of the Bible, a Protestant translation, responds to a criticism of its use of "elder" over "priest" by stating the following:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://isvbible.com/catacombs/elders.htm|title=Elders|access-date=January 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105095216/http://isv.org/catacombs/elders.htm|archive-date=November 5, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{blockquote|No Greek lexicons or other scholarly sources suggest that "presbyteros" means "priest" instead of "elder". The Greek word is equivalent to the Hebrew zaqen, which means "elder", and not priest. You can see the zaqenim described in Exodus 18:21–22 using some of the same equivalent Hebrew terms as Paul uses in the GK of 1&2 Timothy and Titus. Note that the zaqenim are ''not'' priests (i.e., from the tribe of Levi) but are rather men of distinctive maturity that qualifies them for ministerial roles among the people.

Therefore, the NT equivalent of the zaqenim cannot be the Levitical priests. The Greek ''presbyteros'' (literally, the comparative of the Greek word for "old" and therefore translated as "one who is older") thus describes the character qualities of the ''episkopos''. The term "elder" would therefore appear to describe the character, while the term "overseer" (for that is the literal rendering of ''episkopos'') connotes the job description.
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