The only ancient source of information attempting to give the time of Herod's death is the writings of Josephus, a Jewish historian who began to write about forty years after Jesus' death and resurrection. Following Josephus' texts, most historians place Herod's death in 4 B.C. In fact, it is known that the early part of his Wars of the Jews contains errors. As to his Jewish Antiquities, it frequently takes liberties with the Sacred History found in the Old Testament. Since Josephus' track record is flawed, perhaps we should not feel compelled to accept 4 or 3 B.C. as the date of Herod's death. And then, when you realize that placing Herod's death in 4 B.C. is one of the major reasons why modern scholars have been saying Jesus was born in 6 B.C., then perhaps Jesus wasn't born in 6 B.C. after all.
• According to Tradition, Jesus was born on December 25, in 1 B.C. According to most modern scholars, Jesus was born in 6 or 7 B.C.
• According to Theoretical Physicist Professor Lonnie Van Zandt found astronomical data in Maria Valtorta's POEM, Jesus was born late in the year 1 B.C. Thus, the revelations of Viareggio restore the pristine truth of early Tradition (1, 2, 3, 4).
• The traditional answer is A.D. 33: Jesus was born on December 25, 1 B.C., He was thirty-three when He died and rose again, therefore, He died and rose again in A.D. 33.
• Most modern scholars think that Jesus died in A.D. 30: that means His public ministry began in early A.D. 27, and since He was born in about six B.C., He was thirty-three years old when He began His public ministry (this does not necessarily contradict Scriptures, because Luke 3:23 says Jesus was about thirty then).
• The opinion of Professor Van Zandt is that Jesus died and rose again in A.D. 34: Jesus was born in late 1 B.C., He was about thirty when He began His public ministry in late A.D. 30, His public ministry lasted three complete years and a few months, so that He was crucified and rose again in the spring of A.D. 34.
The traditional answer that Jesus died and rose again in A.D. 33 is actually poor arithmetic. If Jesus was born in December of I B.C., then He turned 33 in December of A.D. 33. So far, so good. However, Scripture says Jesus was crucified the day before the Jewish Passover, which always fell in March or April. Therefore, for Jesus to have been crucified when He was 33 years old means that He must have been crucified in March or April of A.D. 34, when He was 33 years and a few months old.
Thus the date advanced by Professor Van Zandt satisfies the traditional data for Jesus' age when He died and rose again. Once again, the revelations of Viareggio agree with Tradition.
In 1992, Professor Van Zandt read Maria Valtorta's vision of A Night in Gadara (pp.459-468 in volume 3 of The Poem of the Man-God. He noticed that Maria Valtorta mentions seeing Venus, Mars and Jupiter in a dark sky, before the moon rose. Professor explains: "As it turns out, having these three objects all visible at once is quite uncommon." The following visions show that this took place about three weeks before Passover that year. (Passover always fell in March or April.) Having Venus, Mars and Jupiter all visible three weeks before the Passover (some time in February or March) would be even more uncommon. And this happened one year before Jesus died and rose again.
Astronomical calculations show that Venus, Mars and Jupiter were visible in the same night sky in February or March before moonrise in A.D. 31 and A.D. 33. They had not been seen together like that in February or March for quite some time before; they were not to be seen together again in February or March for quite some time afterwards. Rather a remarkable "coincidence."
Other visions in The POEM enabled Professor Van Zandt to eliminate the A.D. 31 possibility. There remained only A.D. 33. Since that vision took place the year before Jesus died and rose again, then His death and resurrection had to take place in A.D. 34. And it so happens that this date fits perfectly well with Tradition, which always maintained that Jesus was born in December of 1 B.C. and died at the age of 33. In December of A.D. 33, Jesus turned 33. By April of A.D. 34, He was 33 years and a few months old.
Maria Valtorta did not have a computer to figure out the positions of the planets in the sky during Jesus' lifetime. She was not talented in arithmetic and mathematics and could not have performed the tricky calculations on her own. How could she have imagined such a detail, a detail that escaped the attention of thousands and thousands of readers until 1992, 31 years after she died?
MASS................................HISTORICAL EVENT.............................ROSARY MYSTERY:
Beginning to gospel...........Adam & Eve till the Annunciation............first & second joyful
gospel till sanctus..*(1).........Birth of Our Lord till His public life.........third - fifth joyful
sanctus till pater noster..*(2)......Baptism to crucifixion...............................sorrowful
pater to communion..*(3)......Resurrection to assumption......................first to fourth glorious
ablutions to last gospel............Church history to the end.........................fifth glorious
*(1) offertory....Mary's body as first altar....Jesus' love for temple worship and truth.
*(2) consecration or Immolation of Victim.....Mary as co-redeemer....we lament our sins
*(3) communion or union with the Father thru the Risen Lamb....Mary as model.
Mary guides the Church as Queen for all time. Each Mass renews the Redemptive mystery.