the ancients did not go far enough along their own admirable path. If a monastery in Augustine’s day was a laboratory and showcase for training church leaders and, by example, helping to form “all Christians,” Calvin commends the early monks for their ecclesial service and spiritual accessibility—and then critiques them for not sufficiently living up to their own standards. For, after all, the monastic way of life would be most widely and effectively exemplary for “all Christians” precisely to the