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Muhammad died of an illness.

The order of the 4 Gospels:

Clement of Alexandria on the "Order" of the Gospels


[¶1] Proponents of the Griesbach hypothesis have often appealed to a tradition handed down by Clement of Alexandria in support of their position that Mark used Matthew and Luke.1 Written early in his career in the now lost Hypotyposeis, Clement's information has been preserved for us by Eusebius of Caesarea as follows:

[¶2] But again in those very books Clement presented a tradition of the original elders (paradwsin twn anekaqen presbuterwn) about the "order" of the gospels (peri thV tacewV twn euaggeliwn) in this manner: He said that those of the gospels comprising the genealogies were "written before" (progegrafqai elegen twn euaggeliwn ta perieconta taV genealogiaV), but (de) that Mark had this "disposition" (tauthn eschkenai thn oikonomian): that when Peter was in Rome preaching the word openly (dhmosia) and proclaiming (exeipontoV) the gospel by the spirit, those present, who were many, entreated Mark, as one who followed him for a long time and remembered what was said, to record what was spoken; but that after he composed the gospel, he shared it (metadounai) with those who wanted it; that, when Peter found out about it, he did not actively discourage or encourage it; but that John, last, aware that the physical facts were disclosed (sunidonta oti ta swmatika en toiV euaggelioiV dedhlwtai) in the gospels, urged by friends, and inspired by the spirit, composed a spiritual gospel. So much for Clement. (Eus., Hist. eccl. 6.14.5-7)2

[¶3] Although leading source critics have disputed the value of this information,3 Clement's statement, progegrafqai elegen twn euaggeliwn ta perieconta taV genealogiaV, is widely understood to mean that Matthew and Luke, which include genealogies, were written first, i.e., before Mark and John.4 Under this interpretation, Clement's statement raises perplexing questions that have not been satisfactorily resolved.5