Ubiquitin- I did not use the word concept to suggest someone is pretending to be a kohein but is not, rather to refer to kehuna in general without directly meaning a kohein who is a descendants of Aharon Hakohein. Aharon earned the kehuna, so from then on all kohanim descend from him, but kehuna preceded him. In the time of the avos, they had a kohein, he just was not from Aharon and he did not serve in the Beis Hamikdash, but he did teach Torah and bring people closer to Hashem. The passuk clearly calls MalkiTzedek a Kohein, and rashi uses that term too, and not stam a kohein like Yisro, but a Kohein to Kel Elyon.
I think we agree that for some mitzvos, the form probably differed from the literal sense that we are familiar with now. That does not mean they did not keep the mitzvos.
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