Why are the synoptic gospels called synoptic?

A:

The Word synoptic means 'seen with the same eye'. The synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke not only agree moderately well on the story of Jesus, but when laid in parallel and viewed synoptically can be seen to have a close literary relationship. New Testament scholars have established that Mark was the first gospel to be written, and that Matthew and Luke were substantially based on it, with Matthew containing some 90 per cent of the verses in Mark, often in exactly the same Words in the Greek language.

Answer

One of the meanings of the Word "synoptic" is "taking the same point of view." Since the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke share a great deal of content and present a similar order of events (while John's gospel is quite different in style and content), the first three are called "synoptic."