Five days after the opening of Mel Gibson’s controversial film “The Passion of the Christ,” professors and students are reflecting on allegations that the movie presents anti-Semitic material.

Released to coincide with Ash Wednesday, the film presents what Gibson, the director, calls a historically accurate picture of the events leading to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The film—which has grossed $117.5 million in its first five days, according to the Associated Press—has made headlines for months amid debates over its historical accuracy.

Dustin M. Saldarriaga ’06, who saw the film Wednesday night in the Square, was surprised that most of the people in theater clapped at the end of the movie.

But Todd D. Fine ’04 said he felt the movie was clearly anti-Semitic.

“My initial reaction was that I felt that the critics of the movie had, if anything, understated the degree of anti-Semitism of the movie,” he said. “At every juncture where there was some ambiguity in the Bible, he chose to paint the Jews as bad as possible.”

Rev. Peter J. Gomes, Plummer professor of Christian morals, said he recommended the film but would only give it a B+ on the grounds that many portrayals of the passion had already been done.

“It seemed to me essentially a faithful reproduction of Roman Catholic piety of an earlier day,” Gomes said. “It deserves to be taken seriously.”

Hillel Vice President for Community Building Eric R. Trager ’05 said he thought that the movie was one-sided.

“What I saw on the screen was an overplaying of Jewish guilt in the death of Christ without the accompanying compassion that Jesus himself preached throughout his lifetime,” he said.

Harvey G. Cox Jr., Thomas professor of divinity, is requiring his class Religion 1076, “Fundamentalisms,” to see the movie over spring break.

But some in the class feel that they should not be forced to see it.

Polly R. Seplowitz ’05, a student in the class, wrote in an e-mail that she “feels very uncomfortable supporting Mel Gibson’s work.”

“While Gibson is entitled to his belief in the inerrancy of the Bible, imposing this belief on a mass audience is simply irresponsible. The result may very well be the reinforcement of already growing anti-Semitism,” Seplowitz wrote.

But many viewers said that they thought the movie’s anti-Semitism stemmed from history itself.