John Bartlett as Editor of PEQ and his later scholarly work
When I was approaching the end of my own time as Editor of PEQ (1990–2000), my thoughts naturally turned to who might be a suitable successor in this role. It did not take me long to conclude that John Bartlett, whom I had known for many years, was ideally well qualified to take on a task which requires wide-ranging knowledge and ability: a familiarity with the archaeology, cultures and literature of Palestine, a command of relevant languages and a proven expertise in scholarship and the assessment of others’ work. The Editorial Board and the PEF Executive Committee unanimously agreed and when I asked John if he would consider the idea, he answered that it was the job he had always wanted to do! So he was appointed by the AGM in June 1999 to ‘shadow’ me as Assistant Editor for a year before his name was formally proposed and approved as the next Editor at the AGM in 2000 (PEQ 131 [1999], 203; 132 [2000], 196).
The next nine years completed, with the year of shadowing, a full decade of editorial labours on the Quarterly. It was a highly successful decade, with subscriptions rising, high-quality contributors and a series of changes which, with the move to computerised editing and production that had already taken place, set the journal up for a new phase in its distinguished history. Within two years ‘our somewhat Victorian style’ (John’s words) had been replaced by a still dignified cover in two shades of blue with a photograph on the front which was changed for each issue and generally came from the Fund’s rich collection of historic prints. In the July–December 2003 issue a comprehensive index of the volumes published in 1964–2000 was included, prepared by Elizabeth Fowler, a professional indexer, and continuing from the previous index of the years 1911–1963. Minor changes to the page size and the order of the ‘front matter’ saved some costs and made the ‘way in’ more reader-friendly. In 2004 an online version of each new issue was made available for the first time and our printers Maneys became our publishers too, with both financial and practical advantages for the Fund. In 2006 a major new development took place when it was announced that PEQ would take a first step back towards its original quarterly publication by the addition of a third issue (and 48 extra pages) each year, particularly to provide more space for younger contributors (PEQ 138 [2006], 83). This duly took place in 2007 (the final step to a fourth issue each year following under the next Editor in 2013).
John Bartlett’s own scholarly work was not standing still but was extending into new fields for him during his Editorship, and they were fields with direct links to the history and aims of the Fund and the Quarterly. In 2008 his pioneering study of Mapping Jordan through Two Millennia was published in the recently revived ‘PEF Annuals’ series (with a lengthy ‘spin-off’ article in the PEQ for 2009). This was only the beginning of what turned out to be a much larger publication project and one which has made a major contribution to the study of the history of Palestine exploration and biblical geography, Bartlett’s magnificent and magisterial edition and translation of Burchard of Mount Sion’s Descriptio Terrae Sanctae. Although its publication came only in 2019 (in the prestigious series Oxford Medieval Texts, under the imprint of Oxford University Press: cl + 357 pp.), its origins can be found in a section of Mapping Jordan (pp. 7–14) which already showed the vital place of the Descriptio as a ‘bridge’ between the ancient sources such as Eusebius and Jerome and the beginnings of modern exploration and historical geography in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Written in Latin by a Dominican monk who spent over a year in the late thirteenth century travelling the length and breadth of the Holy Land and collecting the material for his great work. It exists in two recensions, longer and shorter, whose relationship to each other has long been a puzzle to scholars. Bartlett’s own volume brought to bear on this problem his early training in manuscript studies of classical literature at Oxford. His text, as the lengthy introduction shows, is based on the critical study of more manuscripts of both recensions than the previous standard scholarly editions of Laurent and Neumann and it will provide a secure foundation for future studies of Burchard’s work and contribution. One can only record one’s profound admiration for this landmark in the study of the subject which was also to be the last and most distinguished of Bartlett’s own many contributions to biblical and archaeological research.
Most of this work lay in the future when John Bartlett laid down his editorial pen in the summer of 2009—little did he know that his valuable service to the PEF would prove to have several more years to run!
John Bartlett as PEF Chairman 2009 – 2014
John Bartlett was a distinguished theologian, biblical scholar, historian and archaeologist, who served for a number of years as a Trustee and member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF). He was appointed to the chairmanship of the Committee in 2009, at a time when it was becoming increasingly apparent that the society’s accommodation no longer met its needs. The PEF had been given a splendid Grade 2 listed townhouse with its separate mews cottage in 1911, but 100 years later the principal rooms of the main building were let to secure much needed rent. At that stage, the society was located in the mews and in the extensive basement that joined the two buildings together. The arrangement was unsatisfactory however, as it was generally recognised that the collections were housed in conditions that were cramped, damp, dark and dirty. Facilities for staff, visitors and researchers were also poor, and in reality, very dangerous. Overall, it was clear that the building was restricting the PEF’s ability to work on its collections, as well as its ability to make the collections available to researchers. Consequently, it was becoming increasingly difficult to function as a research facility, despite the best efforts of staff and volunteers.
The Committee had been discussing what should be done before John Bartlett took over as chairman, and there were strongly held views about the benefits and risks involved in moving. Many options were considered, such as merging with a university, seeking a home in one of our leading museums or trying to remain independent within a more suitable building. The main concerns however related to the idea of selling the existing property, which was without doubt the greatest asset of the PEF. There was simply no agreement on the subject and discussions were getting tense and a bit stuck.
It was John Bartlett’s skill as a chairman that steered the committee members towards a satisfactory resolution of their differences. He was firm when he needed to be. He was able when necessary to give the impression of having given way, without always having done so. He was patient, courteous and willing to listen. Most importantly, he appeared to have the great skill of instilling in each of the committee members the feeling of having contributed most, if not all, of the ideas that were finally adopted. When John Bartlett handed over the chairmanship to Philip Davies in 2014, the decision to sell No. 2 Hinde Street and mews had been made and the PEF was on track for its move to new premises.
John Bartlett was a most important figure in the history of the PEF. He was greatly respected as a friend and colleague, but it was in his role as Chairman that he made his greatest contribution. It is no exaggeration to say that the capacity of the PEF to fulfil its mission in its second 150 years of existence will be due in large part to some very difficult decisions that were reached under his guidance. John was a wise man and is greatly missed by us all.