The holy book of the Jewish (Old Testament only) and Christian (Old and New Testaments) faiths. The Old Testament is a collection of writings that was first compiled and preserved as the sacred books of the ancient Hebrew people. As the Bible of the Hebrews and their Jewish descendants down to the present, these books have been perhaps the most decisive single factor in the preservation of the Jews as a cultural entity and Judaism as a religion. The Old Testament and the New Testament - a body of writings that chronicle the origin and early dissemination of Christianity - constitute the Bible of the Christians. The Old Testament, written in Hebrew, represents a history of the Jewish people, beginning with the creation of the world. The New Testament records the life and teachings of Christ. Much early archaeological work in the Near East was designed to illustrate or defend the biblical account. Today the Bible is used as a historical resource and recognized as a collection of legends, myths, and stories collected long after events occurred. Archaeology has lent support to some biblical accounts and the Bible has provided information on aspects of society such as marriage customs, inheritance, and land ownership which are difficult to recreate from archaeological evidence.