4Q Cryptic text has parallels with important documents of Qumran literature. For example, the practice of dividing a person’s character into nine parts, some from the House of Light, others from the House of Darkness, reminds the Qumran doctrine of the Two Spirits. This doctrine is described in the Manual of Discipline. According to this text, both the universe and each human soul is a battleground for two spirits:

"He [God] has created men to govern the world, and has appointed for him two spirits in which to walk until the time of His visitation: the spirits of truth and falsehood. Those born of truth spring from a fountain of light, but those born of falsehood spring from a source of darkness. All the children of righteousness are ruled by a Prince of Light and walk in the ways of light, but all the children of falsehood are ruled by the Angel of Darkness and walk in the ways of darkness…
For it is He who created the spirits of Light and Darkness and founded every action upon the man established every deed [upon] their ways."

This piece illustrates the dualism and determinism characteristic of the Qumran sect. The expressions Fountain of Light and Wellspring of Darkness have a parallel on the Vaults of Light and Darkness mentioned in 4Q Cryptic. There are some scholars who think that Qumran determinism is derived from astrology. And most probably, under Qumran thought, the signs and planets are angels under the authority of the two spirits, giving Light and Darkness to individuals as God commands.

Some authors relate those documents to the way Josephus describes Fate views by the Essenes: "the sect of the Essenes, however, declares that Fate is the mistress of all things, and that nothing befalls men unless it be done in accordance with her decree. But even if we find already on those documents the proof that astrology was used by such an orthodox sect as Qumran, it is likely that the more hellenized Judaeans were even more open to astrology than was this sect."

Related sites:

Scrolls from the Dead Sea

The Qumran community