be the precursor of vs precede

be the precursor of

precede

verb
  • To have higher rank than (someone or something else). 

  • To go before, go in front of. 

  • To cause to be preceded; to preface; to introduce. 

noun
  • Brief editorial preface (usually to an article or essay) 

How often have the words be the precursor of and precede occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )