Commentary Par XXVI 44

The word preconio (proclamation, message) -- as is the word arcano (mystery) -- is a hapax.  Benvenuto begins the understanding that this preconio is the opening verse of John's Gospel, 'In the beginning was the Word.'  However, and as Scartazzini (DDP Scartazzini.Par.XXVI.44) argues, most of the ancient commentators are of the opinion that the Apocalypse is on Dante's mind here; he follows them.  It would have been hard to oppose the combined authority of Benvenuto and Scartazzini; the former's judgment (supported, as it was in this particular, by that of Francesco da Buti) should perhaps have weighed more heavily with the latter.  More recently, Schildgen (Schi.1992.1) takes a wider approach in trying to locate the passage in biblical exegesis.