The letter ( Sendbrief ) from 1524 is one of many popular writings of Luther that deal with the topic of marriage . It was first published by Lucas Cranach the Elder and became very popular . It has been reprinted ten times , translated into Latin and was also reprinted in Luther’s complete collection . The title page is a detailed woodcut that features the Luther rose , a symbol that was successfully introduced by Cranach and Döring to verify the authenticity of their Luther prints since 1524. is addressed to the Imperial Knight ( Reichsritter ) Hans Schott von Schottenburg . Schott had married Anna von Auerbach , who had left her former adulterous husband Jakob Hufener . The case gained public attention and even Luther voiced his concerns about this marriage in 1526 , before it got annulled by elector ( Kurfürst ) Johann von Sachsen in 1528. Luther’s letter discusses the problem of secret engagements . He criticizes engagements without the agreement of the parents as well as parents that force their children to marry a person that they don’t love . Luther appeals to the parents , resp . the fathers , that they act according to the right measure and avoid to act as tyrants ( and thus against God ) . Parents should aim to help their children to a good marriage and neither force them to get married nor prevent the children from being married at all , since according to Luther humans are made for marriage . In case of a forced marriage the child is not obliged to obey and should be protected by the secular authorities .