Pork Chops, IDentity, and AretÉ

The Perfect Pork Chop

I enjoy food and travel, which is a perfect combination for trying foods from restaurants around the country. When I am trying a restaurant in a new city, I will frequently order the same dish, pork chops, if it is on the menu. I have encountered pork chop dishes of various types and cooking styles. Some were an absolute success, worthy of a return to the restaurant. Others were dismal failures, where they may have looked good coming out of the kitchen but were difficult to eat.

When a pork chop is cooked well, not only do I enjoy it, but it is also an excellent test of the chef. A correctly cooked pork chop is juicy and tender, flavorful, and satisfying. But pork is also a very unforgiving meat when not prepared correctly because it can become flavorless, dry and hard to eat or even cut.

Among all the places I have visited, Perry’s Steakhouse is the one restaurant that stands out for serving the most flavorful and well-cooked pork chop. Although this is primarily known as an excellent steakhouse, I always go there for their pork chop. Calling their pork chop thick-cut would be an under-statement. Butchers cut the chop “seven-fingers-high” and it typically contains three bones. The chop is rubbed with a spice rub and cured before the cooks smoke and then caramelize it. This process results in a perfectly cooked chop that is moist and has great flavor from the outside to the center. I enjoy every bite and, because of its size, there are typically leftovers to enjoy for another meal at home.

Defining Areté

There are a lot of different terms that we use to describe when something is good, or even better than good. Some common terms are superb, marvelous, wonderful, or amazing. If you are from the 80s or 90s, you might use the term awesome. If you want to sound cultured, you could use splendid. The term my grandkids would use is lit, but they also would likely roll their eyes if I used it.

Although the ancient Greeks also had various words to describe something as good, when they wanted to describe something beyond good, they used the word areté. The concept of arete can be difficult to translate into modern-English, but some simple terms used are excellence or virtuous. When something is demonstrating areté it has attained the highest state that it could possibly reach.

Greek philosophy believed that there is the potential for excellence or areté in everything. It is something to be strived for but rarely, if ever, attained. For an artisan that makes knives, the areté of a knife is when it is constructed with a perfect form and balance, with a handle that fits the hand just right, and, most importantly, makes perfect cuts every time. If you take any one aspect of this knife away, it is less than it could be, no longer areté.

Chefs strive to create the perfect dish, including pork chops. I would argue that on that day with my friends, the pork chops at Perry’s represented the areté of chops. They were the perfect size, enough to eat during the meal, with some to take home and enjoy later. The cooks seasoned and cured the chops perfectly before smoking and caramelizing them just right. Then the smothered topping, which provided a sweet and smoky flavor from the bacon jam and saltiness from the blue cheese crumbles, made it the perfect state of pork chops. Every bite from beginning to end was enjoyable with the different flavors and if the kitchen had left anything off, it would have been less than areté.

Being Areté

Even though, areté can be associated with anything, such as an apple seed that grows into the perfect apple tree, it has special importance when associated with a person. Since people are more complex, the concept of areté related to people is also more complex. One explanation of areté for people is when we are being our best self or living up to our full potential. It is not just about doing good actions. A person can do some good activities that show areté, but that does not mean that they are a person of areté.

It represents a complete way of life, showcasing the highest viable state for an individual. For a person to be one of areté, it starts with their identity or who they are, recognizing that everything that we do is determined by who we are. We define identity as the purposes, priorities, perspectives and principles that influenced everything that we think, feel or do. So, for a person to be areté, it would combine all aspects of their identity, starting with a correct purpose, balance of priorities, accurate perspective from which we interpret circumstances, and true principles that we use to make decisions.

Although philosophers could argue the challenges of an individual reaching and maintaining this state of living, there has only been one individual throughout all of history that has demonstrated being areté, Jesus.

“He (Jesus) committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to Him who judges justly.” 2 Peter 2:22-23

 

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect was tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15

Jesus is the only person who has or ever will completely be areté, living an absolutely perfect life. He knew His purpose in living was to glorify God, demonstrating to all people who God was in everything that He did. The priority of His life was to be obedient to God in all things, even to the point of giving up His own life to demonstrate God’s love for us. Everything that Jesus did was perfect in both intention and action, representing the pinnacle of what we were created to be.

Becoming Areté

Although this is an ancient Greek concept, it is relevant for those of us today, especially those of us that have been redeemed through Jesus.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who call you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

In this verse, the English word translated “excellencies” is areté. Because of our separation from God, we were previously in “darkness” living from corrupted identities that made it impossible to live a life of excellence or virtue. But once God has chosen and redeemed you, you have a new identity and a new purpose. God has specifically chosen you to proclaim the perfection of God by being the image-bearer that you were created to be. We are called by God to become areté, so that we could display the areté of Jesus to others, just as Jesus did while he was here.

The Bible uses several different Greek words that convey the concept of perfection, but they all refer to something that is complete or has come to its intended end. This is like the concept of areté, where we are becoming the person we were created to be and living out of that new identity, as God intended. This simple word represents a complex concept that we can focus on as we are working with God to transform us into the becoming what He has called us into.

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,” 2 Peter 1:3-4

We are not on our own in this process of becoming areté. God has promised that He has already granted to us “all things that pertain to life and godliness.” As we learn who He is more, we will know even more who we were created to be and how we are called to reflect his excellence (areté) for His glory. This is not a work that we can do through our own ability, but expected to work with God through His power and promises to experience this transformation of our identity.

During the sermon on the mount, Jesus stated, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) This call to His followers is to become fully developed, or as you were created to be. This is first and foremost for God’s glory, since as we become perfect, we can then better reflect who God is, giving Him glory. As we become who we were intended to be, we can then experience the fullness of His grace, peace and joy that we were created for. It is also for the benefit of those around us, so that we can be a part of God’s work to have everyone experience and become areté.

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” Colossians 1:28

As you are pursuing Godly areté, we are praying that you realize the truth that God has provided you everything that you need to become who He created you to be.