The Roman Inquisition was without parallel in human history. In the Roman empire, for example, ædiles (magistrates ) hunted down and persecuted Christians and other perceived dissidents, but only as part of their general duties. But the Roman Inquisition was the first organisation to be established, maintained and funded expressly for the purposes of rooting out heresy, and punishing the heretic. The Spanish Inquisition was to build upon this foundation a vast edifice of power that was to be... Sign in to see full entry.