These were the high priest's servants and the temple guards. Alternate translation: "It was cold, so the high priest's servants and temple guards made a charcoal fire and were standing and warming themselves around it" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-explicit]])
This word is used here to mark a stop in the main story. Here John adds information about the people who were warming themselves around the fire. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/writing-background]])