Which church court was used to identify and punish heresy?

• A. Council
• B. Inquisition
• C. Synod
• D. Ecclesiastical Court

Answer: (B)

The concept here is how the church enforced doctrinal conformity through a formal legal body dedicated to identifying and punishing heresy. The Inquisition fits this role precisely, as it was a structured system of church courts established to investigate, try, and punish those accused of holding beliefs deemed heretical. It operated with appointed inquisitors, conducted investigations and trials, and could administer penalties up to punishment by death in some periods.

In contrast, a council or synod are assemblies that decide doctrine or govern church policy rather than acting as ongoing judicial bodies with the specific aim of rooting out heresy. An ecclesiastical court is a general term for church-related legal proceedings, but it doesn’t name the specific mechanism whose main purpose was to confront and discipline heresy—the Inquisition.