There has been much discussion among researchers about the presence of formal education in ancient Israel. There are scholars who believe that the development of the linear alphabet led to widespread literacy in ancient Israel and other parts of the Near East. However, there are others who believe that, although the linear alphabet was less extensive than the earlier pictographic texts used by the Phoenicians and Egyptians, there was still a learning curve that would have taken more than a few days to learn. Even if it was possible to learn the alphabet in a few days and even read in a short time, it did not necessarily mean that one knew how to write. By looking at the morphology of words and even the use of correct grammar in some texts, including the correct spacing between words, found in the archaeological record, researchers can see that some individuals had more skill when it came to correctly spelling the letters of the alphabet and consistently and create sentences that made sense while others perhaps could write the alphabet but not necessarily uniformly and concisely. This would suggest that there was some amount of formalized training in terms of literacy. It would also suggest a learning curve when it comes to writing, as well as different skill levels when it comes to literacy. The development of literacy was a gradual process and probably had more to do with economic changes rather than relying solely on the development of the linear alphabet. Perhaps one of the greatest challenges this field of study has had to overcome and is still overcoming is the integration of both the biblical evidence for literacy and the evidence for literacy found in the archaeological record. William Schniedewind states that "in...the middle of the paper...we are not necessarily able to write, but archaeological discoveries...show that writing and reading were widely practiced..." (Millard 45) Works Cited King, Philip J., and Lawrence E. Stager. Life in Biblical Israel. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2001. Print.Mandell, Alice. "Literacy, Iron Age". The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Archaeology. Ed. Daniele M. Maestro. 2013. Web. April 30, 2014. Millard, Alan. “Literacy in the Time of Jesus: Would the Story of Jesus Be Recorded During His Lifetime?” The Biblical Archeology Review 29 (2003): 36-45. Print.Rollston, Christopher A. “The Education of Scribes in Ancient Israel: The Epigraphic Evidence of Ancient Hebrew.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research. 344 (2006): 47-74. Print.Schniedewind, William M. “Orality and Literacy in Ancient Israel.” Religious Studies Review. 26.4 (2000): 327-332. Press.