 Roman law in the Code of Justinian made heresy a capital offense" (emphasis in original).In the early Middle Ages, people accused of heresy were judged by the local lord, many of whom lacked theological training.Madden claims that "The simple fact is that the medieval Inquisition "saved" uncounted thousands of innocent (and even not-so-innocent) people who would otherwise have been roasted by secular lords or mob rule" (emphasis in original).